Brothers By Heart
by Badass Archer Daughter
Summary: A young Estel is rescued by a mysterious stranger, who proves to have more secrets under his sleeve than the hairs Estel has. Under unfortunate circumstances, the two of them are thrust together into a dead-threatening adventure and are forced to stick together for the sake of their survival. But really...will they truly trust each other? Or will they hide the truth forever?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Estel slowly sunk down into the tree's trunk and shivered.

Snow tumbled in from the east and a wisp of roaring wind blew in the air, as if a lion stood on top of the very mountains and it's voice had echoed down. He tugged at his robes and wrapped them around him more tightly, his teeth chattering and goosebumps forming down his arms. He could see his very breath! Foggy but there and small icicles settled down in his hair.

Estel had no idea what to do. He called himself an idiot but it was already too late to pull back what he had done. And now, he was stuck in this wretched mountain...and if he didn't do something or even eat something, he knew he'd be dead. The only difference would be how he died. He shivered again, another gust blowing his wavy, shoulder-length hair into his face. He knew he wasn't far from the bottom of the mountain. In fact, he knew it would be much easier to go down than to scale up like he had done a few days ago. However, he looked down fearfully, as he saw a small rock fall down the mountain and disappear below, into what seemed an endless abyss. The mountain was too inclined to slide down from and the ice...it would be too slippery for him, and would prove fatal.

Hearing his stomach growl, he was able to summon some of his energy to grab a fistful of snow and shove it down his mouth, numbing his mouth and teeth by overwhelming cold. However, it quenched his thirst and hunger for a few minutes at least and taking a desperate attempt to stand up, he plucked down a nearby branch as support and slowly started walking down, using the branch as a walking cane.

_Only about four miles, you can do it Estel, _he thought to himself.

He cursed as he nearly slipped down the mountain to his chilling death but instead he fell down, his already injured body bruising itself again as it crashed against a layer of rock-hard ice. He grumbled as his dry hands eased him up and he started walking down, slowly but earning up stamina. Now, Estel was incredibly thankful that he had been a reckless little boy when he was young. He had always been _everywhere_, climbing up trees, scaling the towers, lockpicking into rooms, stealing pastries, falling down the chimneys and the skill he mostly currently appreciated: running around. Of course, he had actually been quite a little shy boy at the beginning, obedient and reserved...but yeah, a year living with the twins of Imladris did have some sort of influence on you, he supposed.

Estel sighed._ Imladris_. How much he regretted leaving his home. He wondered where he'd be right now...for god's sake! Through this goddamn snow, he couldn't even see a thing, he didn't even know what time it was! He slightly smirked on the thought of how much his foster father, Lord Elrond of Imladris, would sermon here if he heard Estel's use of vocabulary. Estel paid thta no mind though, as some tears started founding in the rim of his gray-blue eyes. He'd probably never see his foster father again. He'd die in this stupid mountain, frozen and alone.

He cursed himself again, quickly wiping the tears off. He was now a child anymore, he remembered his true purpose on this journey. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself and he'd prove his foster father and brothers wrong. He'd show his mother he knew what to do, that he wasn't a helpeless baby. He grunted as he went on. He knew how to survive, most ten year olds would've died a long time ago but he had persevered. After all, Dan and Ro had taken him to hunt plenty of times before and Estel had always loved hearing the occasional tale or tip of a ranger who stayed in the Homely House as Dan and Ro's friend.

However, he eventually gave up from not thinking about Imladris. He just missed his home so much...this was the first time he'd been away for so long! He thought of the warm crackling fire of the library, where he'd used to sit in his foster father's lap, reading from some book and eating from a tray of tea and hot biscuits. He remembered the secret waterfall, where he and the twins had often sneaked into to dive in. He remembered the dining room, delightful aromas coming out and the twins' chatter filling the room. He remembered the garden, where his mother would often go with him and point certain flowers and herbs. He remembered the planetarium, where he and Erestor would stay up late at night and point our stars and gape at beautiful constellations. He remembered the training grounds, where his blood could run fast and his sword could go free, the restless spirit in him unleashed. He remembered the stables, warm with the smell of hay and sunlight, he could even smell the homey, ground-like smell of the horses, their manes soft to lay your head against. He even remembered his bed, warm and feathery, getting tucked in by his mother and he yearned to hear her soothing, dominant words.

He groaned. When he went back, she would _so_ decapitate him!

Estel sighed as he went further down. Light started decreasing and he gulped. If it was night time, he would need shelter. It was already cold in broad day light! How cold would it be at night? Besides, he was not as lucky as he was a few days ago, when he'd found a small cave where he had slept for the first time in days, in solace and slight warmth. However, the remaining nights had been spent curled up against some solitary, crumbled up tree bark and yesterday, he had faced off a wolf in order to have a place to sleep. And despite the fact he was young, Estel's sword did it's thing and he had even wounded the wolf with two deep cuts! He had never felt as proud of himself as a warrior. However, the wolf had escaped and in return, Estel had been injured, a jagged cut racing from his shoulder blade to his elbow and scraped, bloody knees.

After a while or perhaps an hour, Estel's dry lips cracked a small smile. He could see the faint outlines of what seemed trees or even better...a forest! Sure, in the forest, there were much more foes to face...and he didn't even know where he was! However, he would have more possibilities of living and who knows? Perhaps he'd finally get a decent meal or two! And a warm tree to cuddle in! A fond smile settled on his determined lips and his pace quickened, as did his cautiousness and his morale. _Perhaps two miles more, _he encouraged.

At this point, the snow started decreasing but the amount of rocks increased. They came as sharp and jagged, sticking out like deadly-looking needles. Now, Estel couldn't even walk down, for he had already cut himself eight times! No, now he had to climb down. He slowly eased his pack behind his pack and grabbing hold of some sturdy looking rocks, he closed his eyes and started down. Occasionally, his foot would hit the wrong rock and he'd fall down and although did this slightly speed him up, he figured out that he now had three more ribs broken. Eventually, limping and groaning, the young boy was able to crawl down the rocks and that was when his hands first touched the most wonderful thing in the world for him at that moment: grass.

The grass was soft and bright green. It turned out that right below the mountain, was a wide field of hip-long (in this case, chest-long for Estel) grass and wildflowers. Estel threw himself into a bed of bright daffodils and lay there for a while. The wind was softer here now, not violent like it's sister up in the mountains but soothing, as if the sky was singing a lullaby for him. He lay there, his face finally touching something soft and he let out a small laugh. Nature! Color! So many days isolated in that wretched mountain, cold and dull, almost lifeless had made him nearly insane. After all, he had been raised by nature-obsessed elves, some of that had rubbed on to him.

He knew he should be seeking shelter somewhere. He should be hunting some food for his starving stomach. He should be making plans for the next morning. But right now...he just couldn't. It was as if he was simply stuck in the grass and could've move out from the comfortable position. For a moment, he didn't care. He just wanted to close his eyes and not worry. He twisted and changed position, his face facing skywards. He could see the sky now...the stars. They looked beautiful, twinkling and winking at him like little lanterns hung in a dark painting.

He sighed and for the first time in days, Estel slept.

**O-O-O**

Estel had awoken early in the morning.

Tired but recharged with newfound energy, he had walked through the entire field and reached the small forest. He had climbed up a sturdy looking oak tree and had put his pack there, marking the tree with a stuck with a large big X. Then, with his sword at hand, he had set off to find some food to eat. He was a great tracker all right, his brothers had even praised him to have an 'abnormally good ability for tracking' and in no time, he'd tracked down at least ten creatures. However, Estel didn't manage to get anything for a long time. Although he sucked at archery, he wished he'd had enough sense to pack a bow. With his sword, Estel couldn't get close enough to any animal for he made too much noise and the animals had fled from him before he could strike his sword down. He had eventually gave up his search for meat and gone up some trees. He'd gotten six eggs and although he felt terrible for killing the unborn baby birds, his roaring stomach changed his mind. He also grabbed some berries he thought were 'edible' and had tracked his way back to his oak tree.

Now, as Estel sucked the eggs' yolk and stuffed himself with berries, feeding his long hungry stomach, he thought about what he was going to do next.

It had all started three weeks ago, in the dining room. The entire family was there and suddenly, Dan and Ro had spoken up about something that caught Estel's mind: Lórien. The twins were going to Lothlórien to visit their grandparents as well as to discuss some diplomatic trade issues. The young boy had always dreamed of traveling beyond the safe borders of the Last Homely House and Lórien was a placed that intriguied him. He had heard tales wilder than the Western Lands full of dirty, barbaric mortal men whose selfishness had destroyed them all. He gagged, he was not proud to be one of their race. Anyways, back to Lórien. Estel had always wanted to go there for visit. Daeradar and Daernaneth always came for visit on Yule but he never got to go there, they had always insisted that he was too young and it was 'too dangerous for him under normal circumstances.' But this time, he was going and there was no staying silent. He knew how to fight. Survive. Live. Climb. Run. Swim. Everything he needed in the wild he already knew and he'd spent at least half an hour in the dining room, trying to convince them but to no avail. With a now somber face, the father and sons had said no to Estel with no hesitation. Eventually, he'd been rude enough to insult his foster father's father, the great Earendil and Elrond, in a fit of quick anger had grounded him into his room with a growl.

And that is why a day after the twins had rode off to Lórien, Estel, in the dead of the night, had sneaked out of his room and into the stables, stealing a horse of his own and determined to catch up with the twins. And eventually, if he did catch up with them, they would be pretty far from Imladris and it would take forever to take him back, so they'd just sigh, forgive him quickly like they always did and allow him to accompany him to their journey to Lórien.

Good plan right? Apparently so...but eh, maybe some things went wrong there and there, leading to Estel losing track of his brothers and lost in the mountain.

Suddenly, Estel realized something as he wiped the sticky yolk and berry juices from his hands and lay against the tree, cherishing the small moment of rest. He didn't know where to go, much less where to go back. How was he going to find Lórien? He bit his lip, frowning. If he didn't get to Lórien, then he'd never get back to Imladris. He sighed and shrugged it off as he slung his small pack against his back and made sure his sword was in it's sheath. He then headed down to a nearby creek, washed his things, filling his water skin and made sure he smelled decent.

He then headed down a small rocky path, limping his way through. His feet were pretty tired and his body pleaded his mind to sleep more, at least for a couple of days. However, his mind refused to do so and only until he was mid-way on his trek, he stopped on a large rock, his legs too tired to carry him on and squeezed some water into his mouth, admiring the eerie silence of the forest surrounding him. He then winced as a small pang of pain went up his leg and realized he should have checked his injuries first.

_Well done Estel, _he told himself. _Your foster father is a healer and the first thing you do once you're out of that wretched mountains is eat like a pig. Excellent decision...you obviously didn't learn something from father._

Estel counted up his injuries. A large cut from his shoulder to his arm, scraped knees, blisters in his nuckles, three broken ribs, a pretty bruised abdomen, scars and cuts in his feet and also a slightly infected knee wound. But otherwise, he was fine. Surely with some boiled water, athelas and some leaves as temporal bandages, he'd be as good as new in seconds.

Suddenly, he heard a noise.

It was no ordinary noise, not natural like the whistling of the wind or the chirp of the birds. Instead, it was a sickening noise, one which could make your blood curl and your heart beat faster. And suddenly...Estel realized it was a growl. A deadly growl that sounded like a very angry but drunk warrior was choking. Frightened, the ten year old boy grabbed his sword and unsheathed it. In fact, he was not allowed to use a sword yet until he was thirteen, for those were too heavy for him, like this one was. However, Estel had known that a knife wouldn't be able to fend him off from the creatures of the wild. He tried to copy a battle stance his brothers had always had in his training but failed, and he looked much more like somebody who needed to seriously urinate.

And then they burst in.

_All right Estel, don't do anything stupid, _instructed Estel to himself. _You've seen Adar and Dan and Ro fight orcs plenty of times before. And wargs too. Surely it isn't that hard..._

Five orcs, mounted on wargs surrounded the young boy. The creatures growled and tried to inch closer to the adan boy but were held back by the huge, metal reins of the orcs. One of them, with one of his ears cut gruesomely, one which Estel called One Ear, growled something at Estel, his sword pointing at him. The boy frowned, not knowing what he was saying when suddenly, one of the orcs behind him laughed, a cackling laugh indeed. Estel turned around just in time to get a large slap, the stinging red still burning in his cheek as he fell back from the force of the action.

Swollen Eye, or the one who had slapped Estel, cackled again and said in Westron, "He says that you must be our present, little adan, for we have been hungry and bored for many days and we will find you a pleasant little toy."

"Y-You don't deserve any gifts," said Estel, quickly standing up and raising his sword. "B-Besides, I wouldn't speak so freely. I have a weapon. I can fight."

All of the five orcs laughed, with One Ear being the loudest. He beckoned Swollen Eye and said something to him, with a cruel, jagged smile in his face that would have made most people scramble back in fear. Swollen Eye turned to Estel.

"He says that your weapon is a mere stick. It is like giving a knife to a newborn babe...it is a stupid choice," then, as One Ear, the one Estel suspected was the leader, grumbled something again, Swollen Eye added, "He says that you are as harmless as a rock and he says you might piss yourself if you stop shaking so much."

Estel growled and tightened his grip against his sword. Another round of laughter stretched through the group and One Ear said something, as the five headed down to Estel...and even he, who did not speak orc, knew what it meant: let the game begin.

Estel raised his sword and rose to wound a nearby warg, however, this one managed to try to swallow Estel's head and did not get injured at all. Estel evaded the attack and only after several swings of his sword, he was able to form a slim cut through the warg's neck, making it fall down lifeless to the ground. However, he paid the price. The skin at his wrist had been torn apart and was now bright and raw, as if it was on fire. His back had been unguarded as well and he'd earned a clean cut from the top to the bottom. The rest of the fight was a blurry show. These orcs were just too good and even as Estel managed to deflect them, he knew this was a lost battle. It was all too hard. In all this fighting, all he'd managed was to kill one orc. For every cut or bruise he managed to make, two injuries formed behind Estel's back. He now had thrice the number of injuries he had before and he felt as if his muscles burned up. Tears flooded his eyes...he would never go back home. Never see his mother or Imladris again. He quickly wiped them off though, if his vision got blurry, chances were he'd die faster.

Suddenly, One Ear, the one who had caused Estel the most cuts, laughed and then knocked him down to the groan, causing a cut through his cheek and making him fall down in the dry forest floor. Wincing, he tried to focus on what One Ear was saying. They weren't beating him up anymore. They were not on their wargs anymore but standing up in front of him. They had stepped back, forming once again a circle. Then, Swollen Eye came forward and laughed.

"He says that you have endured much more than what he thought," he grinned, flashing rotten yellow teeth with holes and foul-stench cavities. "He says it is a shame you will have to die and lie to waste. But you have been fun, he says, and he praises the fact that your skin would make a very good cape."

"Well," said Estel, every word feeling painful, "then tell him that I've survived much more because he has spent half of his time talking about nonsense. He's got no sense at all...after all, a capable leader would've killed me a long time ago."

One Ear growled and with a somber frown, Swollen Eye turned to Estel. He then stomped hard on Estel's infested knee injury, causing him to cry out. Then, One Ear came forward, a black sword gleaming in the daylight, inches from Estel's neck. "You seem desperate to seek an audience with death, you insolent child," translated Swollen Eye.

"Or perhaps you are too foolish yourselves to know that death is already upon you all," growled Estel, trying to act brave but knowing that there was no chance he'd survive this encounter.

Swollen Eye laughed, this time translating nothing from One Ear but talking for himself. "Ha! You have great courage, adan, to speak like you are doing. I would ask for mercy if I were like this, tied to the ground, easily overwhelmed and with a sword that would slit my neck in less than-"

However, he had not finished when suddenly, an arrow whizzed in the air and cut straight through his forehead. Almost immediately, another arrow flew in the air, a blur of green and it cut straight through One Ear's neck and his grip on the sword fell. Glad for this distraction, Estel rolled to his right to avoid the sword falling on top of him and cutting him into pieces. He then grabbed his sword, which had fallen a few inches away from him in the middle of the fight and swung it at an unsuspecting warg, killing it. However, he realized that move had caused him all of energy and all he could do was fall down to the floor, trying to regain his breath. His saviour, a hooded figure, moved with such an agility that Estel thought it was superhuman. He admired his speed and his agility, how he moved as swift as a current of water but also how quiet he was, like the wind. Easily, the figure picked up the two arrows from his previous kills and grabbing them, he used them like a knife, sticking it through one of the orc's head. Then, putting his arrows back to his quiver, he quickly turned around to block a cut with his bare hands that would've beheaded him immediately. He then grabbed his knife from one of his sheaths and stabbed the orc's gut and slashed his throat, pushing him back by kicking his chest with his feet.

Suddenly, one of the wargs turned to pounce on top of him and turned just in time for it to fall on top of him. For a moment, Estel thought he was crushed but realizing the warg had uttered a high-pitched whine, he realized the figure had managed to stab the warg's heart at the very last moment. Pushing him out of the way, he went and faced the two remaining wargs. He spun gracefully, like one of his father's dancers and after a blur of claws and knives, the wargs were down, lying lifelessly on the ground.

The cloaked figure turned to Estel. Estel wanted to scream, shout for help at least. He supposed he should thank his saviour for helping him...but after watching him kill all the orcs and wargs in less than five minutes was a pretty big impression. He gulped, opening his mouth to utter a word, something when the figure silently put a finger to his lips and pointed out to the forest. Estel heard some soft growls and the sounds of paws running against the ground and he knew what the figure meant: more orcs were coming.

_No wonder_, he thought. _We were as loud as an orchestra._

Slowly, he saw that the figure beckoned a hand towards a path in front of him. Estel nodded in understanding and started following, trying to mimic the figure's quiet steps. The figure pointed a hand towards a tree, meaning for him to climb it. Estel obliged, not wanting to get with this guy's bad side and quickly scrambled up the branches. Huddled in the leaves, he watched as the stranger knocked an arrow on his bow, aiming at nothing in particular. Frowning, Estel watched as the arrow flew and hit a spot in the darkness. Had the archer just wasted an arrow for nothing? Suddenly, a cry came out as a orc body slumped forward and twelve growls came at once, as a dozen orcs came out from the trees. They ran towards the mysterious stranger and as quick as lightning strikes, the archer knocked six arrows and released six of them, all striking them targets. The remaining six he faced with close combat, taking out a pair of knives and stabbing two at the same time. Soon, he also had those six dead and looked back at Estel, beckoning for him to come down. Because it was coast clear.

For now.

The boy knew there were still orcs around the zone. He could feel the restlessness of the forest, the tension in the air and the foul-stench of death. He knew those orcs would eventually overwhelm them, even with this stranger's unquestionable ability. That is why he immediately obliged following the stranger as he slipped through the forest, prancing like a deer.

Moments later, they found themselves out of the forest and in a cave. It was small but it stood in a high hill, where you could get a good decent view of the forest, which was terribly little compared to the other grand forests. Estel saw that the stranger had claimed this place as his, for he saw that his pack was spread all over the floor. He was currently standing up, his back against him and he was examining some sort of herb. Estel sucked some air, his hand slowly creeping towards the hilt of his sword. It was true this stranger had just saved him...but could he truly trust him? Perhaps he was just a blood thirsty assassin. Or maybe he was kidnapping him for a bounty!

That is why as the stranger turned around to speak with Estel, Estel unsheathed his sword and then brought it down to chop off the stranger's hand.

**O-O-O**

**AN: Whoa! That was sort of a cliffie, right? A lot of descriptions in this chapter, something I'm awfully bad at but I hope I did OK. Anyways, yeah, not very interesting. Little to no dialect. I know, I know...but it'll get good in the next chapter, I promise. After all, don't you guys want to find out if the stranger's hand got chopped off?**

**Hahaha, just kidding. ;) This is not Game of Thrones. But don't lie...some of you actually did enjoy Jaime getting his hand chopped off. I did, I admit.**

**Anyways, review, follow or favorite! Remember, criticism is cherished! Grammar Nazis are most certainly welcome! But there should be NO FLAMES! Remember, nobody is perfect and they are always learning, that is why instead of bringing the flames, give criticism and tips.**

**Oh, and yeah...the so very boring **_disclaimer: _**do I look like Tolkien to you? Most certainly not...I'm not even British (but they sure do have killer tea and accents). Am I one of the most talented fathers of fantasy? No. So yeah, all characters and setting go to the most wonderful Professor Tolkien.**


	2. Chapter 2

_Previously on Chapter 1..._

_"That is why as the stranger turned around to speak with Estel, Estel unsheathed his sword and then brought it down to chop off the stranger's hand."_

**Chapter 2**

The stranger easily deflected the move.

It was as if he had eyes behind his back and he quickly moved his hand out of the sword's edge, deflected the hand-chopping move and then he grabbed Estel's arm. In one quick, but slightly painful twist, the sword fell out of his hand and the stranger's other hand caught his blade swiftly before it touched the floor. Estel gulped. He was _sure_ he was dead now. And now it was even worse...he was weaponless. Another thing to add to the cons he was currently having. He waited for the steel of the blade to pierce Estel's throat.

Instead, he was taken back when he heard a laugh.

The laugh was cheery, as if the figure was extremely amused...but it wasn't a taunting laugh. It was a merry laugh, the one you'd normally see in a party or in a happy occassion. Immediately, he knew that this was an elf. No man or dwarf (but this person was too tall to be a dwarf so he crossed out that option mentally in his head) could laugh so merrily after they nearly had their hand_ chopped off_.

The stranger, still hooded faced him. His laughing had ceased and Estel found himself looking into darkness. He could see the faint rim of a face but he could see no features yet, nothing that would make him identify him. Suddenly, the archer spoke up, sounding a bit too excited.

"That would have been an _excellent_ cut!" he exclaimed. "You wouldn't have chopped off my hand of course but it would've been terribly wounded. Dangerously large amount of blood loss. Bandages for three days. Inability to hold a weapon for two weeks. A few broken bones." The archer shrugged. "I would've been pretty screwed."

"A-Are you going to kill me?" asked Estel having summoned a little courage.

Suddenly, he was met with another laugh. "_Me_? Kill _you_? If I had ever wanted to kill you, I would've let those filths do their job back there in the forest. I just _saved_ your life! And you've got a queer way of thanking me, it seems."

Estel suddenly blushed embarrassedly. "Sorry."

"It is no problem to me, you were mainly protecting yourself, human," said the archer, preceding to take off his hood. "After all, I do look quite eerie with this hood on. But my problem is, how would an adan boy be wandering alone in a forest, left at the orc's mercy?"

For a while, Estel forgot to answer the question as he faced the stranger, who turned out to be an elf, as he expected. He was tall and slim, his body curved like a great bow yet still cautious and alert. His hands and limbs were long and slender, with evident small muscles cracking through his armour there and there. His hair was like goldspun threat, looking as delicate as silk but his eyes...they were a bright blue hue, like the calm sea inside a glass window.

He snapped back to reality and realized he was asked a question. "Erm, I was erm, walking."

"_Really_?" said the elf, obviously not convinced as he came forward dumping a few bandages on Estel's hand. "Just randomly walking around the forest, bleeding from several injuries and serving as an orc beacon for all of the orcs of this forest? With that blood dripping from your knee, you are literally screaming out for orcs to tie you to a tree and roast you for dinner."

"Well," said Estel as he sat down on a nearby rock, bandaging his wounds. "What would an _elf_ be doing alone out here in this forest? Don't you all travel in patrols?"

"And what would _you_ know about elves, human?" replied the elf a bit too harshly.

"My_ father _is an elf," snapped back Estel and suddenly, he cursed himself. He barely knew this elf and now he had already blurted out one of the key parts of his identity. He could be a mass murderer on the loose and about to kill him! And if he found out about him being Lord Elrond's foster son...he might be kidnapped! Oh bloody hell, bloody hell, bloody hell...now Estel was officially screwed!

The elf frowned, just as taken back as he was. "Y-Your father is an elf?"

"Erm...yes," said Estel proudly, trying to think of something. "He-erm, well...I'm a peredhil."

Despite the fact that Elrond wasn't really his father, he was probably a much better father than his original father-whoever that idiot was-would've been. Anyways, the truth was Estel had barely any idea what a peredhil was. He heard it mentioned once in a while in his history lessons with Erestor but he never paid attention to those things anyways. Besides, when Estel always asked Glorfindel about his foster father's heritage, Glorfindel always got very quiet and replied with only "peredhil" as an answer. So...if this word was used to describe his father, it shouldn't be too bad, right?

"You're a peredhil," whispered the elf, as in a half-daze. He looked up at the boy and his eyes slightly squitned, examining, although Estel had no idea why. He looked just like every common boy. With a skinny but toned frame, wavy, shoulder-length dark brown hair and gray eyes along with light skin. "And yet you chose a mortal life over an elvish one."

Estel had no idea what he was talking about but he played along, nodding in assent.

"You're one remarkable person then, peredhil," exclaimed the elf. "It requires bravery to give up such things...but then, sometimes immortality is pretty sucky. What is your name, penneth?"

"Not telling you," said Estel stubbornly, his arms crossed and his chin put up.

The elf sighed, as if he was terribly used to this kind of show of stubborness. "Would it help if I said _my _name?"

"_Maybe_," said Estel after a while, curiosity giving up on him. "But maybe it would help more if you could answer my question in the first place."

"Your-? Oh, yes. Of course. Well," stated the elf, suddenly interested in the cave ceiling, "it's kind of complicated..."

Estel glared at him. He could be pretty intimidating if he wanted to.

"Fine," the elf said with a huff. "Let's say I'm on a quest of sorts."

Now, the elf had Estel's _complete_ attention. The young boy felt as if his eyes had dilated into the size of saucepans. He was finally going to get some adventure he truly deserved! He slowly stood up and limped closer to the elf, who had raised a small wary eyebrow. "What kind of quest?"

"Something private," he said back, obviously a bit secretive about this so called quest. And despite the fact that the elf could be lying, Estel just...knew he wasn't. He could tell that the elf wasn't the lying kind. He then sat back on his rock, knowing that this elf was probably not going to spill the beans...yet. "Now, fulfill _your_ part of the promise. What is your name?"

He knew he had no choice and since he couldn't think of any name other than the name he already had, he sighed and said, "Estel."

Suddenly, he was met by another rain of laughter as the elf easily pulled a heavy-looking rock towards him and he sat on it, facing Estel, with a grin on his face. "_Estel_, truly?"

"Well," snapped Estel indignantly, feeling a vein bulging in his temple with frustration and anger. "It's not like I chose it-"

"No, no, it's actually a lovely name," said the elf, who leaned back and scratched his bare chin, as if in curious thought. "It has such a deep power and meaning. I simply wonder why they named you Estel, since it's such a widely popular name for ellyths but in truth, it is a name to be proud of, I think."

"Don't _lie_, it doesn't make things better," grumbled Estel looking at the ground as his feet kicked small pebbles towards the cave wall. "I wish they'd given me a cooler name...all the other elves are called badass names like elf-knight or burning flame or glorious fountain or spiky bush or something. And me? They call me a lousy, girl name...hope."

He crossed his arms even tighter and glared even harder at the elf, who found his small tantrum amusing and was now chuckling uncontrollably, clutching his toned stomach. "Do you find something..._funny_, elf?" he snapped at him.

"Yes, very," said the elf smiling as he calmed down. "I assure you, nobody in the elven community would ever call their child burning flame or spiky bush. However, do not feel so bad about your name, Estel. It is special in it's own way."

"How?" he snapped, then he grumbled, a bit under his breath. "Maybe it's because I'm an adan and am not worthy of a proper elven name."

The elf frowned at him, Estel almost forgot elves had hearing that was far more advanced than the normal human one. "Do not say that, Estel. I might not know your parents but I am sure that they both love you very much and that perhaps you might have misinterpreted them. I am sure that they did not mean to name you hope as an insult. After all, hope is a powerful thing. Do not think low of it."

"And what would you know?" said Estel standing up angrily from the rock he was sitting on. Who was this stranger just popping around, thinking he was such a wisecracker and offering sentimental advice. He most certainly didn't need sentimental advice...especially not from this random, way too cheery, annoying elf. "I don't even know _your_ name anyways. It's probably one of those high and royal ones."

The elf chuckled. "It depends on what you think is royal. My name is Legolas, penneth."

"Greenleaf?" said Estel wrinkling his nose.

"Yes," said Legolas, with a small, nostalgic smile on his face. "When I was young, I was angry at my father for calling me that. I said, 'Adar, you could not have put me a more obvious name. I mean, _obviously_ leaves are going to be green! Why didn't you give me another, grand warrior name?'"

"But there are other colored leaves, like red, yellow, orange-" Estel trailed off and Legolas shot him an annoyed look.

"Yes, I am perfectly capable of knowing that. However, I was young and I had not seen much of the world," replied Legolas.

"Oh," said Estel. "What did your father say back?"

Legolas smirked. "He called me an insolent and ungrateful little fool, spanked me in my bum until it was as red as the tomatoes in our garden and grounded me to my room for the rest of the day."

"Without dinner?" said Estel incredulously.

"Without dinner," affirmed Legolas and sighed. "Nor dessert."

"Ouch," said Estel sympathetically. Due to Elrohir's influence, the young human had taken a keen liking to desserts...and of course, ham. "And how old were you?"

"I was seven in human years, I suppose," said Legolas, as if he were making the mathematical calculations in his head. "Anyways, the point is not that I did not get dessert. It was that I should take pride in my name, no matter how obvious it was."

"Are you always so spiritual?"

"I actually hate reading...or well, anything that isn't training. But yes, I suppose my brother had some influence on me," said Legolas and then looked at Estel's knee. "But at least I have some decent logic that you should mend your knee."

"It's bandaged," pointed out Estel.

"Yes, it's bandaged, _I know_...do you often forget I have eyes as well?" said Legolas rolling his startling blue hues. "Anyways, you are deeply wounded. You cannot expect to be back on your legs and running. It will do you no good, I'm not a healer but even I know you need rest." Then he added, "Besides, orcs like hiding in the trees in the afternoon. Normally it would be better to travel by sun but this time, it is better at night time, because you can use the trees as refuge."

"Well, I'm sort of in a hurry but really, it's been great meeting you, Legolas," said Estel, picking up his scattered sword and putting it in his sheath as he stepped out of the cave. He was eager to go to Lórien and meet Dan and Ro. And perhaps then, he might ask them if they knew an elf called Legolas.

"Where are you going?" asked Legolas.

"Somewhere private," said Estel mimicking Legolas' previous comment but with a high-toned, annoying whine. The elf glared at him. "Anyways, good luck in your qu-"

Suddenly, Estel felt something drop on his head. Looking up and touching his thick, dark brown mane with his thin hands, he touched something liquid. Up in the sky, thundering gray clouds which he hadn't seen or heard before had clumped together and sparks of lightning crashed upon the floor. What had begun as one drop now became a million, as they crashed down unto the dry land and rained down. Already soaking wet, Estel quickly avoided getting even more wet by entering the cave again, sulking and cursing fate for being against him that day. Sighing, he looked out of the cave, at the endless rain. He knew that this was no simple breeze...it was a true rainstorm and it was going to last a while. Inwardly groaning, knowing he wouldn't be able to see Dan, Ro, Daeradar and Daernaneth as soon as he wanted, he went back and sat back on his rock.

He was met by a smugly grinning elf, who said, "Well Estel, it seems that by the Valar, you shall be stuck with me for a while more."

**O-O-O**

**AN: YAY! LEGOLAS INTRODUCED! I'm so excited to further work with him! Anyways, I'm glad this was much shorter and less descriptive! Phew, I don't have to write those huge descriptive paragraphs. Too much haggle for me...I like stuff straight and simple! I know this chapter was sort of mild and nothing exciting happened but Estel and Legolas are actually going to get to know each other in the next one! The plot will get juicier...or well, I hope. And there are also going to be other POVs so those will be fun I reckon.**

**Anyways, the reviews were lovely! Everybody, thank you! I'm most definitely going to try to post these chapters as quick as I can in response to y'all's eagerness but here are the responses for the awesome reviews!**

** : **_Thank you! And now you have another reason to be more curious! ;) I mean, what do you think Legolas' mysterious quest is...?_

**Roy23: **_First of all, thanks for the compliments! I do love the other Estel meets Legolas stories and I got inspired by them. Anyways, Estel is __**ten years old **__in this fanfiction and I know that he might be too young to be such a good warrior as I depicted him on Chapter 1 but...he's got Dunedain blood in him, I suppose that sort of boosts him up to do things kids his age normally wouldn't do. The following chapters will show more of his innocence and age though._

**DiamondoftheDay: **_Of course! I'll try to keep publishing and updating the story. There is so much schoolwork and tests coming up for the remaining weeks of school...but summer is coming! So that ought to be pretty good, shouldn't it? Anyways, for your okay? okay thing... (hey, I'm a Fault in Our Stars fan)...IT IS NOT OKAY! XD_

**MaskedMan2: **_I love how thoughtful your review was! I'm definitely going to use some of your advice and thanks so much for the compliments. Hahaha...I know my descriptions were kind of too descriptive in the first chapter. I mean, I actually hate long descriptions...I actually thought for the first chapter, I had an obligation to make it long so that the readers get what I'm going to write about. But I will definitely try not to make my descriptions so extensive!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Previously on Chapter 2..._

_"He was met by a smugly grinning elf, who said, 'Well Estel, it seems that by the Valar, you shall be stuck with me for a while more.'"_

**Chapter 3**

Estel glared at him, "Don't tell me you can control weather. I'm not in the mood."

Legolas laughed and Estel grunted at his cheeriness. The boy was feeling terrible; tired, hungry, worn out and still quite wounded, despite having bandaged most of his wounds. And now, he was stuck in this dumb cave with a random, strange elf who could just be an ax murderer in disguise for all he knew! Estel grunted, he was in that awkward position all because of one thing: the stupid rain. He sighed as he leaned back against the thick, jagged wall of the cave and looked out as the rain engulfed the surrounding landscape.

"Fortunately, I do not," said Legolas laughing as he found a nearby patch of wood branches and with one of his knives started slicing them into thinner pieces. "I do not possess any powers as do the Lady Galadriel or any of the Istari. I was never truly interested in that magical fuss anyways...it would require much reading I suppose and I simply dislike any activities involving sitting down quietly."

Estel would've normally asked a question but instead, he was taken back at the mention of Lady Galadriel. "You know who Lady Galadriel is?"

"_Better_, I have spoken to her face to face," Legolas said casually as his blue eyes were dutifully focused on his work. "But to answer your question, _peredhil_, yes, I know who she is. For mortal or elven, all creatures know of the fair Lady of Lórien's beauty and power."

"Daer-I mean, the Lady Galadriel does not speak to every elf she sees," noted Estel.

Legolas frowned and was about to open his mouth before he shut it again, as if he wanted to say something but thought not to. Not a few seconds after, he then responded, "Indeed."

"So why did she speak with you?"

"Um, well penneth...I had-I had _business_," said Legolas, his voice trailing off.

Estel took advantage of this. If he had Legolas in an awkward position, he would finally be forced to spill out his identity...although the young boy had no idea if it would serve him or if it wouldn't. But he knew Lórien so that didn't seem too bad for him so far.

"What kind of business?" he asked.

"Private business," said Legolas and at the end, in a rather stiff voice, "from the king."

"King?" asked Estel and frowned. Why had he never paid attention in the history lessons? Darn it, he could just hear Erestor scolding him right now for making paper airplanes and sleeping while he was supposed to be hearing his lecture about the elven kingdoms. However, as much as he thought, he could only think about one nation that currently had a king. "As in King Thranduil? You are from Mirkwood?"

Estel thought he had heard Legolas mutter something about Mirkwood being called something else before but he paid it no heed at the elf used his knife and sliced a mighty good chunk out of a stick, making Estel slightly gulp. The elf's voice had turned a bit darker too. "Yes."

"Oh," said Estel, taking the elf's warning. "So...what are you doing?"

This took a brighter toll on the elf who grinned, erasing the previous scowl from his face as he showed three thin sticks and explained what he was trying to do. "You see, I'm making arrows. I haven't made the arrowheads but you need to make the sticks or the base in order to have a shaft in which to stick the arrowheads in. And yes, I might go and hunt some birds for some decent feathers...besides, you look like you could need some of the meat."

"How are you going to make the arrowheads?"

"Rocks, perhaps some metal that some adan threw around. I have to make through," said Legolas and then engulfed Estel into a story in which he had been forced to make a weapon with only pineapples, leaves and a stick (a combination that turned out to be a pretty good maze, much to his surprise) fighting against a company of orcs. The boy found it easy to get lost in Legolas' story, for he was truly a good storyteller and he felt as if he himself had been inside the elf's adventure.

Obviously, he soon found out that Legolas' life was more exciting than his own. "How is it that you get all of these adventures?" he asked the elf curiously, after the blond had just finished telling a tale in which he had thrown himself out of a cliff into a river forty feet below just to escape a pack of wargs.

Legolas actually put his things down and rubbed his chin, frowning in thought as if he were truly doubting himself. "Actually...I dunno. Many reasons I suppose. I'm a trouble magnet. Or well, _trouble_ seeks me. Erm, also...death really seems determined to get me into Mandos early. That and a few other factors I suppose."

"Like the fact that you aren't quite bright?"

This brought a laugh to the elf. "I suppose you are right but my sister prefers to call it _recklessness_ and my brother calls it_ impulsiveness_. However, that impulsiveness did save your life, you know. No being is so stupid to risk him or herself against orcs to protect a child they had never seen before."

"You have siblings?" asked Estel enthusiastically. He suddenly wondered how the twins were and he inwardly sighed, wishing he could be with them right now.

"Indeed I do but they are older than me," said Legolas with a small sigh at the end. "And therefore, that makes me the _little baby brother_ of the family."

Estel could definitely relate.

"Don't they worry about you running around, though?" asked Estel and seeing Legolas' posture change into a more tense position added. "I mean, my brothers would _kill_ me if I get one meter away from their sight, much less go on life-threatening journeys."

The elf chuckled, his posture still tense but a little lightened up as he leaned back on his own rock. "So you mean to say that you came on this little odyssey of yours without them knowing?"

Estel glared at him. "No..." and after watching Legolas' eyebrows raised, unconvinced, he sighed, "Well, _maybe_. That's all I'm going to say. What about _you_? I wouldn't think that your siblings would let their reckless and impulsive little brother out here in the wild of this random forest. Where are we anyways?"

Legolas looked back at Estel, his gaze neutral. The young boy was pretty impressed, spending time under Lord Elrond's influence, he could read people pretty well but Legolas was...well, Legolas. He was unpredictable. Sometimes he thought Legolas was going to explode with all the emotions that were bubbling inside him but sometimes Legolas was as noncholant as a rock.

"I have got my duty to do. And duty comes first before all," he said in a robotical voice, as if he were reciting from a manual. "And we are in a small forest, but a few leagues off the range of mountains that separate Eriador and Rhovanion. Honestly, I would've thought that if you didn't have enough sense to bring more weapons," he said, his witty tone returning as he eyed Estel's sword, which now lay on the young boy's lap, "you would've _at least _studied the directions to wherever you are going."

Estel snorted, pretending he hadn't heard the remark. "Whatever. Do you know a way out of this place? As I said before, I'll be on my way as soon as this wretched rain stops. I'm in a hurry."

"And a hurry where, may I ask?" asked Legolas, getting Estel on his nerves.

"Somewhere," snapped Estel.

"Look, _penneth_," stated Legolas, sighing. "It turns out that I am in a hurry as well. In fact, I would've in my location hours ago if I had let you to the mercy of those filths back there in the woods. But in my opinion, you should state where you are going...after all, I am sure I can think of a way to take you there much faster than whatever way you're thinking about right now."

"Are you calling me stupid?" asked Estel angrily, standing up, his hand now dangerously sitting on top of his sword's hilt.

"Not at all," said Legolas calmly, although he stood up as well. "I am calling you unexperienced." He took a few steps and stood in front of Estel, looking down at the stubborn-faced boy. He was frustrated that Legolas was taller than him by three full inches, making him look rather incompetent. "You _obviously_ have not traveled far from your home before, and therefore, you did not plan well. For your clothing, you chose comfort over endurance, something that paid you dearly in your trek through the mountains. Leather would've been better than the wool you wear now, for it would've kept you warm in this rain and would last more through the battles you have fought-"

"How do you know I climbed the mountains?"

Legolas snorted. "Is there another way to get in this forest?" He then squinted at Estel. "You look naught like a child of the Rohirrim with their rugged complexions. You have the Gondorhim frame and yet you act with an air of nobility higher than those who dwell there. You have not chosen your disguise well, young traveler, for even the youngest of my race could see you come from the very west, from lands bordering Arnor and Eriador."

Estel was boiling. He could not be tolerated to be called senseless, foolish and inexperienced all in less than thirty minutes. "You do not disguise yourself well either. You are a Mirkwood elf, the darkest race of the three and kin of the _Avari_, the dark elves who sided with darkness when destruction came. What would you and your isolated kin know about the rest of the world?" he spat out at the elf.

"My kin are _Sindar _and _Silvan _elves! The purest and best of each kind!" the elf growled back. "We suffered the_ most _when war and famine came. Our king, Oropher, was slaughtered along with two thirds of our army and our Greenwood crumbled into the dark abyss today! Our very neighbor is Dol Guldur, home of the very filths who I rescued your sorry little impertinent buttocks from! We isolate ourselves because nobody wishes to speak with us again!

"Of course," Legolas continued, snorting as he started circling Estel, like a hawk observing its prey. "_Nobody_ wanted to become the ally of a kingdom already corrupted by evil. So what did we do? We had no ring after all, no protection or magic. At the cost of my brothers' and sisters' blood are my people kept safe."

For a while, Estel and Legolas could only glare at each other, a storm of gray and blue. The boy knew he had provoked the archer, for all of his previous cheery demeanor had faded replaced by a stubborn sense of pride and he himself wasn't how he usually was. He was usually quiet and shy, always the follower of his brother's pranks and always the one who got the less fame and praise around the House of Elrond. And if he did get praise, it was for the most unsignificant things, like getting his elven runes correct or memorizing passages of ancient mortal history he'd probably never need.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Estel heard a howl.

It was no ordinary howl, it was an angry, blood-thirsty howl, loud enough to make you shiver. He gulped and suddenly realized that the rain had ended outside and that a small portion of sunshine had settled out of the cave. And yet puddles of water remained, making all things and plants glitter with a newfound, crystal light.

"Legolas, do you hear it?" asked Estel, previous insults forgotten.

Legolas slowly nodded, quietly getting his bow and arrow out and slipping out of the cave, motioning Estel to be quiet as a finger was held up and put at his lips. Soon however, the boy heard three swift movements of three arrows being nocked and three arrows flying in the air, all hitting their targets with a hearty thump. Estel, disobeying Legolas, took out his sword from the sheath with a sharp, silvery sound and poked his head out, watching as three orcs fell down dead on the ground. From a distance though, the boy could see more orcs coming and some of them riding feral looking wargs, growling and with froth dribbling down their chins.

The elf turned to look at the boy, the blue hues of his eyes wild and shaken. "All right Estel, I can give you time to move out, five or ten minutes at most. I'll hold them off for the time being. Theres's a river down south-"

"You're telling me to go?" asked Estel, suddenly confused.

Legolas rolled his eyes as his hands tightened against his bow. "Well, I suppose_ yes _is a logical response. An upcoming horde of orcs and wargs is coming towards us with the complete desire to have our entire bodies obliterated and smashed into some type of yrch cuisine. If you go now, you might be able to get out of this alive, Estel."

"But _you_ wouldn't," pointed out Estel.

Legolas shrugged as he nocked an arrow and let it go. "_Maybe_. Maybe not. Sure, my chances are scarce...but I have some, I suppose." Then, his eyes shifted downwards where the orc's wargs were struggling to climb the rocky hill in which the cave stood on. However, the wargs were already half-way through and would soon be surrounding the two of them. "_Now_! Leave while you can."

For a while, Estel was torn. His instincts told him to get the _hell_ out of there and run like the wind to avoid getting turned into adan chowder by those orcs. However, something strange in his heart urged him to stay. Why? He didn't know...perhaps it was guilt. After all, this elf had just saved his life. He wouldn't exactly be paying his debt back by escaping and letting him die against all of these orcs. And...he had a family. Estel knew his parents, brothers and grandparents would be glad to see him alive but what about Legolas' family? How would they react if one day, he and Lord Elrond went to Legolas' house to tell them their youngest child was dead?

Besides, what had Lord Elrond always told him? _"Embrace your flaws and problems and use them as your shield, for they will always bounce back to you if you never confront them. And never run...for they will chase you down until you face them."_

Estel snorted, he wasn't exactly sure how these many orcs could serve as helpful to them but at least he sort of got the message. Putting his sword high in the air in another defensive stance Dan and Ro had taught him, he turned to Legolas, who was shooting arrows non-stop and taking advantage of the orcs' current uncomfortable position.

"No," he said.

For a while, almost incredulous, Legolas stop shooting and turned to the boy. "_What_?"

"Are you deaf?" asked Estel. "Because I said _no_. I'm not leaving you, Legolas. You saved my life...if I just let you die here, I would never be able to forgive myself, ever."

"Well, if you don't leave, then I would have rescued you in vain," said Legolas but could only turn back to look in front of him, as the wargs and orcs finally managed to climb up the hill and were only five feet away from them. "You are a_ truly _foolish fellow, peredhil, but it seems that there is no way I can dispersuade you so let it be. Now...brace yourself, for battle will be upon us."

However, as Estel accepted his choice, tightenining the grip on his sword, his eyes fixed on the filthy horde of orcs and wargs heading towards them both, he could not help but feel a small sense of dread in his heart.

**O-O-O**

**AN**

**Hahaha...that was one of my first attempts to make Legolas and Estel be a little angsty against each other. This one was pretty flimsy, I know, but it was kind of made to be that way. In the future there will be **_**real **_**angst scenes...and I'm pretty good in those.**

**Anyways, to answer my lovely reviews! :) Thanks to everybody who has read and enjoyed so far! **

**Roy23: **_Thanks! I'm glad you're liking it so far!_

**Masked Man 2: **_Your advice was great, as always. Now I do think that suck and sucky are probably not part of Legolas' vocabulary since they're such informal words but...I'm sure it will not happen in the future. Anyways, I'm glad you love Legolas' and Estel's interactions and that you love stubborn little Estel. I thought I hadn't made him stubborn enough but thank you so much for your affirmations! _


	4. Chapter 4

_Previously on Chapter 3..._

_"However, as Estel accepted his choice, tightenining the grip on his sword, his eyes fixed on the filthy horde of orcs and wargs heading towards them both, he could not help but feel a small sense of dread in his heart."_

**Chapter 4**

Estel knew they were screwed.

His arithmetic was terrible, but common sense told him he should have run when he could. He cursed himself for refusing that option. The amount of orcs was overwhelming... at least for only two people. His sword hand slightly trembled, as the growling and very angry horde of orc and wargs headed towards them at an alarming speed and he and Legolas found themselves slowly stepping back, the archer holding them off with his arrows. Estel looked back, if they were pushed back any further, they would fall out of the edge of the hill and down a rocky cliff, which Legolas had told him before, had a flowing river heading south.

_South. That's where Lórien is, is it not? _he thought bitterly.

But oh well, he had chosen his fate and he was here to embraced it, he supposed. Estel tried to shake some fear out of himself before he fought. He'd never fought in things so big...nobody let him. He was either 'too young' or behind other elves' whispers, an incompetent adan boy. But Legolas...he hadn't cared. The young boy turned for a brief look at the elf, to see if he was afraid as well. Although he suspected the opposite, Estel saw Legolas was calm, shooting arrows at a quick speed but with a smooth ease as well. He supposed all warriors had that facade and experience though...often Dan and Ro would come back from their patrols, bruised and bloody but still trying to hide their injuries from him with a smile.

However, before he could think further about his brothers were doing, he heard a growl in front of him and nearly shrinked down as a feral cry came out, snapping him out of his thoughts. Battle had begun and an orc had already positioned himself in front of Estel, his great sword about to slice his skull in half when an arrow flew through the air and cut through his eye, to which the orc cried in anguish and fell down on the floor.

He turned and saw Legolas, as their eyes met for a brief moment and the elf said, "Pay more attention,_ penneth,_ if you value your life."

Before he could've replied with something clever and witty back, he lost contact with his only ally as he was swarmed by four orcs at once. The elf switched back to his knives, slashing out and killing the four orcs, proceeding with another four. Estel nodded, picking up the dead orc's knife, which was still quite heavy for him in one hand and his sword in another. Then he cried out and rushed into battle.

Three headed his way at the same time, he blocked one slash and use his leg to kick him in the chest, sticking his sword in it's chest. Picking up the body briefly, he used it as a shield and pushed it at the other orc's face while stabbing the other orc using the previous dead orc's knife.

The rest was a frenzy of battle. There was a rain of arrows coming from where Legolas was, as he swiftly moved through the entire hill, kiling and slaughtering orcs. Estel was doing his own thing in the other side, a blur and dance of steel, as they clashed together and hit flesh. Blood was now soaking the ground, on top of the piles of dead orcs. After a while, Estel was so tired, his muscles could barely move. Limping, he headed towards an old crumpled up tree and sighed, leaning back and looking down at his reopened injuries. Other than the bandaged things, he now had a deep cut in his left arm and a bruise in his forehead.

He watched Legolas fight the remaining orcs. Twenty were still left and although that was progress, Estel could see that he was struggling to keep up with so many. Immediately, Estel noticed how he wasn't the center of attention but rather the distraction. They focused on Legolas, seemingly eager to finish him off as maniac smiles decorated their faces and they tried to edge their weapons closer to the elf.

Estel had no idea but he thought this probably had something to do with Legolas' quest thing.

He frowned. Eventually, Legolas would be beaten down by the foes...and well, if they killed such a good warrior, what would they do to him? He thought, what had his father said? _"It is not by brute strength that you win a battle but by the art of thought." _So BAM! He had to help Legolas, somehow, but how? Estel scanned the hill. They were pretty tall up and he could see the faint rim of Lórien far away. On the very top of the hill, however, on top of the cave he and Legolas had taken shelter in, there were a bunch of rocks there and an idea clicked.

"Legolas!" he shouted towards the elf. "Can you hold them off?"

"I haven't exactly been suntanning, _peredhil_," snapped Legolas back. An orc threw him and he crashed against a rock wall. Suddenly, at an amazing speed, the elf turned and kicked the orc who had thrown him, rubbing his own bleeding cheek in the process and then going back to fighting the other nineteen. "Deciding to leave now, huh?"

"No!" said Estel excitedly. "I'm going to save your-well, _our_ lives, I have a plan!"

"It better be a good one," muttered Legolas as he blocked a cut that would've beheaded him.

"It is!" promised Estel as he found a solid place to step on and noticing that now some orcs were paying more attention to him, started scaling the wall, urging himself as Legolas weakened and his defenses slowly waned. "Try not to die before hand!"

"That's lovely advice!" snapped Legolas as he slashed through two orcs at the same time.

Climbing, Estel urged himself on. He could climb this stupid little hill, he just _climbed and survived_ through that _demonic mountain_! Of course he could do this. To his dismay however, in the middle of climbing, an orc came and stabbed him in the leg, causing him to slip and having to waste his time trying to fend off for himself. Eventually, after he had killed the twoorcs, poor Estel was forced to start climbing again. In ten minutes, he reached the top of the hill, coughing and limping. He smiled, he'd done it! He was close to completing his plan!

He looked down and saw that things weren't so bright for Legolas. The elf had now gained plenty of bruises around his forehead and eyes. A long jagged cut ran from his left leg, dripping and soaking with blood along with some cuts around his abdomen.

Getting to action, he piled the rocks and put them in neat rows, putting them in the edge. The plan wasn't that complex...in fact, using common sense, Estel knew it would work as a good decoy. However, the rocks were huge and he didn't want to be called Mr. Obvious but those rocks were _damn_ heavy. It took him a while to carry them and when he did, he looked down and called out at Legolas.

"Run! Get away!"

"I-" Legolas said shooting an arrow through another orc although they were already asphixiating him, jabbing at him with their weapons at the same time, "Don't-" He paused to kick another orc in the shin and stab it in the abdomen. "Run."

Estel sighed in exasperation, why did elves have to be so stubborn? But well, he had been raised by elves so he supposed he got some stubborness too. He stepped forward to explain more, only to have the rocks accidentally fall down, tumbling down the hill towards where the fight was. In horror, the boy could only watch as the orcs pointed up and started screaming as the rocks flew and fell on top of them...including Legolas. The elf saw this earlier, but not even elvish speed was fast enough for the events that were happening and before he could jump out of the scene, a rock fell on top of his leg, pinning him down to the ground. Dust and dirt blew in the air and for a brief moment, Estel covered his eyes and afterwards, he looked down and gasped. All of the orcs were buried under a layer of rocks and if they weren't dead already, they'd be unconscious for some time...enough to give them an escape. But that meant Legolas was buried beneath those rocks too!

_Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, _said Estel as he slid down the hill and then limped towards the rock, trying to look for the elf's body through the rubble. _This is bad. Very, very bad. _Summoning the last bits of strength he had, he pushed rocks out of the way and after some tedious, anguish-filled minutes, he found the elf. With the medical lessons he'd received from his father but a few years ago, he put his fingers at the elf's neck and sighed in relief. There was a pulse, faint but there. Quickly, he went to Legolas' leg and kicked the stone that had pinned the elf down. After the elf was clear of danger, he leaned in his chest and checked his breathing again. It was raspy and weak but there was a beat.

For a split second, he thought about trying to revive the elf so that maybe he could walk on his own but then he gagged in disgust. _Ew, no...I'd rather bath in horse poop._

He then proceded to use all of his strength to lift Legolas and pull him out of there, pulling him down the trail so that they could go near the riverbank.

The riverbank was the biggest chance they both had for surviving. The water and plants could heal their injuries and maybe they could find decent shelter against other orcs roaming the area. Estel huffed and his shoulders sagged as he pulled the elf by one arm. Sure, most elves were pretty light and so was Legolas...but for Valar's sake, _what did he eat? _Estel heard the rumble of growls in the background and muttered, urging his legs faster down the path.

He looked in front of him. The riverbanks were close, so close. Then he looked behind him, hearing even more growls, louder and more angry now. More orcs? Damn! How many were there in this area? Pushing Legolas further up against his shoulder, he pulled the elf out of the path and he collapsed on a large bush. Hiding inside the thick foliage, he made sure the elf was lying comfortably before crouching down and peaking out from his hiding place. Was it safe? Could he go out? He now noticed the rumbling of his stomach and he clutched it reassuringly, as if to say, _Don't worry bud, you'll get some food soon._

Suddenly, there was the sound of horse hooves and hiding, he watched as a band of orcs, growling and riding wargs passed through them, muttering in their dark language but there were some words Estel overheard like 'elf' and 'human' and 'stupid.' So yes, the orcs were still trying to kill them. He held his breath when some of them got close to their bush and then, as the orcs growled and rode down the trail, he saw something that made his eyes widen.

A Nazgul, a real Nazgul. This one was dark and terrifying, clad in black and with an equally frightening steed. His Adar had told him many stories about them, one of the Nine Mortal Men who had been so corrupted by their rings that they had turned into terrible creatures, minions of...of Lord Sauron. But it couldn't be! Sauron was dead and defeated, why were these filths running around Arda? Unless...

Unless he was not dead.

Estel had to put two hands over his mouth to stop himself from screaming in realization. He turned to look at Legolas. Maybe he would answer some of his questions about Sauron but now they had to live through this ordeal. Estel then scanned his surroundings. After the Nazgul and orcs were truly gone he looked down to the riverbanks until he saw the river. He and Legolas needed to sail down. Perhaps in Lórien, his grandparents could help them.

But now, they were both too weak to continue. So they had to rest and heal. Once out of side, Estel muttered some words of strength and dashed out, sneaking into the thick woods of the riverbank and limping through the forest, running as well as he could. There were orcs, wargs and a bloody Nazgul out there! He had to act fast. He scanned his surroundings and scuttled around, gathering all types of plants there and there. He climbed trees to gather eggs, nuts and berries. And finally, he also got what he wanted: kingsfoil, aka athellas.

Gathering his materials, feeling happy that his body was still in tact, he headed towards the bush he had been hiding and slipped in, only to find that somebody was now already awake and now had cleanly bandaged injuries. That person also had something in his mouth, food, and he waved a piece of it at the boy.

"Hello there Estel, you _do _look famished. Lembas?"

**O-O-O**

They were as quick as the blink of light. They ran through the forest as if they had been used to all of their life, which they had and they ran with such swiftness, it seemed otherworldly. They were agile and it was evident to see in their footing. They did not slip but rather, continued running with omniscient grace.

It was a small group of fifteen and yet several similarly sized groups had been spread out surrounding the area. The leader, a dark haired one with deep and wise indigo eyes led the way, running the fastest and with a burning eagerness. She wore several badges that indicated her high-rank and her helm and armour gave her away as someone of military power, like a captain or general of sorts.

Suddenly, she stopped and as in cue, her fellow elves stopped as well. She stopped and sniffed the air curiously, her senses sparking and alert. She growled and turned around to face all of them, her face stoic. "Yrch," she growled. "Those filths were here."

"The problem is, how long ago?" replied another elf.

"And for what purpose?" added the elf next to the previous one.

The captain growled. "That is none of our concern. We had our orders from our king and so we will execute them. Find him, that is all. If the orcs want something else, related to other lands, they are not our concerns. We must only find him, doesn't matter at what cost or at which obstacles. We. Must. Find. Him."

She sniffed again. "I want you to spread out in this area though, it smells particularly fishy to me." And so they did, the elves spread out and ran different directions, looking for their target both on land and on the trees when there was a sudden cry and all elves headed to the hill where they had heard the sound.

Pushing her way in the gathering crowd that was already surrounding a pile of rocks and rubble, the indigo-eyed captain went straight in and then paled, her eyes shaking as she knelt down and picked something from the ground. A knife; green and silver, with elvish words marked at the side of them in the royal delicacy only an elvish blacksmith could have done.

"No," she gasped.

**O-O-O**

_"How the hell did we get into this position?!" _shouted Estel as he shot another crooked arrow towards an orc. It didn't hit the orc but rather, the warg, which made them tumble down the road but it was still a pretty good shot for a guy who had learned archery in five minutes.

The elf and the human were currently riding down the woods, speeding towards the riverbank where they would finally get out of thise darned area and escape the orcs. However, things didn't seem so easy. In the course of half an hour, the duet now had thirty orcs behind them, twenty wargs, ten goblins and a very angry horde of bats.

"I tried to warn you but you wouldn't listen!" snapped Legolas as he patted the horse soothingly and whispered elvish words of encouragement. "I'm a trouble magnet, these things kind of follow me wherever I go!"

"Valar, why didn't you give me a better travel partner?" muttered Estel under his breath. He then clumsily went back into an offensive archery position after he almost let Legolas' bow fall and shot an arrow, which didn't kill the goblin but did wound him as the squaling creature clutched his side in pain.

"Hey! Don't waste my arrows!" snapped Legolas as he turned around briefly. "Some of them are made of _mahogany_. That is expensive."

"I don't freaking care about mahogany!" snapped back Estel angrily. "I care about my bloody life! Now keep moving and make sure you know where we're going."

Legolas snorted. "_Please_. I had a horse when I was three, I think I can handle a simple horseback ride down a forest."

"SIMPLE? You must be _blind_!" said Estel shooting an arrow and this time he did hit an orc, who fell down and pulled his warg down with him, getting trampled to death by his very own kin. "We are being chased by hell!"

"Trust me Estel, this is most definitely not the worst thing I've encountered," laughed Legolas dryly as he urged the horse on. Much to Estel's annoyance, the elf had insisted to be the rider since he said the boy would not be able to handle the horse to the speed they needed, despite how good Estel was as an equestrian. And so Estel had been taught archery in five minutes and was now trying to shoot some arrows straight as he sat on what seemed an earthquake.

"Let's just hope you can get out of this one too," said Estel. "Now...how far do we have until the river?"

"Five minutes!" exclaimed Legolas grinning. Then, suddenly, he told the horse that she was free at last and he jumped out of the horse, taking the young human boy with him. As the horse sped away and the duet was left in the dust, the boy turned to glare at the elf.

"What was_ that _for?" he snapped as he dusted himself.

"We will spare him of our upcoming fight," said Legolas as he suddenly, but nicely, took the bow and quiver from Estel and shot five arrows at the speed in which Estel would've only shot one. "Oh, thank the Valar...I feel good again. I felt truly helpless when I saw your incompetence on the bow and arrow."

"It was good enough for a boy who only touched it for five minutes!" exclaimed Estel huffing indignantly. "Anyways, what's the plan?"

"We need to get to the river," said Legolas. "We should use the trees as camouflage, for they are fond of me and will certainly help us now." Suddenly, the elf's blue eyes widened to the point they were bigger than saucers. "ESTEL, LOOK OUT!"

Suddenly, Estel turned around and found a black blur heading towards him...and then, he fell into oblivion.

**O-O-O**

When Estel woke up, it was all a blur. He found himself feeling fine and yet...he felt nothing. As if he had fallen in a void of numbness. Shaking his head to fight the groginess and stood up. He was in a homemade wooden barge now, made of tied logs, sailing down a river. A curling mist surrounded the boat and a few dragonflies flew in the air. Fireflies dotted the foggy night and led the way, bright dots of light.

"Hello Estel, how are you feeling?"

He turned around to see Legolas sitting there. His injuries were now bandaged and he looked calm, sitting cross-legged with a long stick lying in his lap as a paddle and with his mouth full of what seemed food. He smiled at the boy, who only turned to frown at him, sitting down in front of him. "Um...surprisingly good I suppose. But in another way...strange."

"How so?" asked the elf.

"Well...I dunno, I feel numb," said Estel. "Empty...and well, occasionally I get these dizziness attacks. I just don't feel balanced, like something is missing from me."

"That's because your soul is."

Estel was about to say something when he backtracked and re-listened, making sure he'd heard right. For a while, all he could do was gape mouth-opened at the elf as he cheerfully ate his food, or what Estel identified as another piece of lembas. "W-What?"

"Your soul is missing...or well, it's not missing, it's _corrupted_," said Legolas and he paused, his mouth full of lembas and squinted at him. "Your aura is still glowing, but really, it's fading. And once it fades, the corruption will take over your body. But I have to say _peredhil_, you have one _strong_ soul or else you wouldn't have lasted this long."

"Whoa, wait, I don't care about that spiritual soul mumbo jumbo!" snapped Estel standing up angrily, hands on hips. "_Why_ is my soul corrupted?"

"Oh, that."

Legolas stood up and much to the boy's frustration, the elf was still a good few inches taller than him. The elf looked down at him. "Don't you remember? Escaping the other orcs? The arrows? Well, it turns one of those was a Mordor arrow...except the poison they used was different from all other types of poisons. After all, I have been shot with multiple of those. My point is that you are now going to go with me."

_"With you? _Where?" asked Estel.

He was not in the mood. Estel had ridden many leagues, then he'd climbed that monstrous mountain and persevered through the terrible cold weather, wolves, injuries, cuts, hunger, thirst,_ only _to come down and be nearly killed by orcs. And _only_ to be rescued by the world's most annoying elf and then to fight another pack of orcs and wargs (although he supposed that was much more of his choice). And then he had to drag a severely hurt elf down a path and hiding him so that he could go out into the forest full of orcs, wargs and a Nazgul _alone _to get food and healing supplies. Only to come back for nothing because the elf already had supplies in his own pack. _And then _they'd been pursued by even more orcs until Estel had gotten shot by a Mordor arrow with unknown poison and BAM! Now his soul was corrupted.

Either Mandos really hated Estel or Estel just seemed to have some rotten luck.

"To Fangorn Forest," said Legolas grinning as if he had created those woods himself. "The most mythical and pure forest in all of Arda. The age and magic found in these woods are so powerful that it can be compared to that of the Valar. It is there and there only that you will be cured. The magic will help and remove the poison."

"Why not just bring me to an elven kingdom? Imladris or say...Lórien?" asked Estel.

"I'm afraid this poison is beyond my reach," said Legolas. "Beyond _anybody's _reach. Lord Elrond is the best healer I ever know but this is beyond his knowledge. And the Lady of the Golden Wood is as wise and powerful as she is beautiful but I think that this is one type of darkness she will not be able to handle." He paused and put a slender hand on the boy's shoulder. "Besides, I fear that it might be contagious. Best that we do not pass it on to the large elven kingdoms."

Estel pushed Legolas' hand away. "What if I refuse then?"

Legolas frowned, as if he didn't understand.. "Why would you refuse? Do you not want to be healed?"

"Well, yes, but not with _you_," snapped Estel. "What happens if I don't heal though, if I don't go to this weird, 'magical forest of deep age' with you, huh?"

Legolas sat down and for a while, his blue eyes stared into the seething gray ones of the human silently. He then calmly grabbed another piece of lembas and started chewing before he spoke, "Many things, really. First, you would go severely blind and it will feel as if your eye sockets are on fire...and that's because they are. Then your joints will throb terribly, like a hammer has been hitting them for centuries. Your stomach will then be too weak to handle anything inside of it and your life's worth of food will start puking out uncontrollably. Your nose will start bleeding and afterwards, your windpipe would get blocked, choking you and obviously leaving you without air to breathe. Then, you'd die a very painful death." He then looked at Estel's dead pale face and smiled awkwardly, "Lembas?"

**O-O-O**

**AN: Exciting chapter huh? Lots of suspense and more mystery! Guess they're both stuck together, aren't they? But...wow Legolas, SMOOTH you know. You tell Estel he's going to die and then you offer him lembas? I don't think it's the time you know. Anyways, poor Estel! After suffering all those things now he's going to die (or is he)?**

**Wow, I kind of am evil. *Dodges tomatoes***

**Now, here are some responses to my lovely reviews! It's you guys that keep me going! Thanks so much for your appreciation and love! VIRTUAL COOKIES!**

**Roy 23: **_Yup, it sure was quite a fight! And I know I wasn't that descriptive but I hope this chappie was good enough! As I said before, so much action and suspense! Besides, Estel's soul is corrupted...that ought to be a major plot twist._

**Masked Man 2: **_Thanks! I love how much you enjoy Legolas and Estel's diversity! Haha...trust me, there's going to be much more unexpected from here. And many thanks for noticing Estel's courage! I mean, I wanted for people to notice his good heart and bravery right away...I'm glad you noticed it! :)_

**Guest: **_Haha about the airplanes! :) What a mistake, well, my bad. I think I should've put paper cranes instead. _

**Luin: **_Cool! Thanks for reading Spring Festival as well. I'll be posting there soon enough and besides, summer is coming so that's why I'll have more time to post stuff. And thanks for the compliment, I was aiming for a solid description for the first chapter so that I could use more dialogue in the chapters after that. _

**Luin: **_Thanks, I'm glad you think it's funny! :)_

**Luin: **_Well, stubborness is one thing both Legolas and Estel share. And yes, there will be many more tense scenes in the future on these two. A lot of angst...MWAHAHHA! (Haha just kidding, I'm not George RR Martin evil...but yes, there's going to be angst)_

**THiaLieN: **_Yup, some ten year olds are just annoying...but in the end, you forgive them. Anyways, I'm glad you like Legolas' diverse personality. Yup, he's a bit childish but he's been the baby of the family for a long time so that might have done something. Anyways, yes, I'll try to update as much as I can!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Previously on Chapter 4..._

_"-Many things, really. First, you would go severely blind and it will feel as if your eye sockets are on fire...and that's because they are. Then your joints will throb terribly, like a hammer has been hitting them for centuries. Your stomach will then be too weak to handle anything inside of it and your life's worth of food will start puking out uncontrollably. Your nose will start bleeding and afterwards, your windpipe would get blocked, choking you and obviously leaving you without air to breathe. Then, you'd die a very painful death." He then looked at Estel's dead pale face and smiled awkwardly, "Lembas?"_

**Chapter 5**

The elleth walked with an air of dominance.

And she _did _deserve that dominance; after all, she was the leader of the Mirkwood cavalry, a rank that did not come so easily between so many talented warriors. As she stalked down the hall, her eyes glazed with a dangerous fire but she had an unexpected facade, cool and controlled. Servants often paused and gazed at her, gaping in amazement. Female warriors were no surprise here, for in Mirkwood every hand was needed to fight the darkness but they gaped at her control, of how someone of such high rank, could be so calm and serene.

Beluriel would've normally been called pretty. She was a bit too petite for her age, which was but two thousand and five hundred, but she was still more fit than most warriors. Her long raven hair, made into messy warrior braids, was loose. Her eyes were indigo blue, deep and with a swirling light. Her face was almond-shaped, with rosy cheeks and it would've almost been adorable...if she wasn't glaring a death glare at you or shooting you an annoyed scowl.

Finally, the captain reached her destination and stopped at the door. Sighing, not wanting to imagine what the terrible scene would be when she opened the door. She sighed as she knocked and waited for the response, she_ would _have to face the king anyways...she had five meetings scheduled further on that day and it's not like she had a choice in wanting to attend any of them. Then she heard a quick "ENTER!" and entered.

She opened the door and closed it behind her, surprised to see in the royal chair instead of Thranduil, his eldest son, Thalos, who was also the crown prince of Mirkwood. His hair, usually a bright but slightly dry gold, was crumpled and messed up. He looked obviously tired, with his eyes started to become saggy...however, it seemed he wasn't going to get much rest as there were two huge piles of paperwork in front of the crown prince. He was scribbling intently, his eyebrows which he had majestically inherited from his father, scrunched up in concentration. Suddenly, as he heard her come inside, recognizing her by the bare sound of her footsteps, he raised his head, hand-combed his hair back and forced a small, tired smile at the captain.

"Mae govannen," he said, trying to sound cheerful. "What can I do for you, Captain Beluriel?"

Beluriel knew what he was doing but she didn't care. She was a very straight elleth, always hating metaphors and riddles. She always got straight to the point and that was perhaps why Thranduil had chosen her to lead one of Mirkwood's forces: she was so effective. "Where's King Thranduil? This is his office, not yours."

Thalos, forever the honest one of the princes sighed in defeat, waving an arm at her. "Adar has not been feeling well...you know, with the_ incident _and all. I have arisen upon the decision myself and as my father's formal regent, I have taken his place for the time being."

Before Beluriel could reply something about the incident, a voice from the shadows came out. Years as a captain had made her strong and noncholant but although she did not look surprised, she was just that in the inside. A hooded figure, cloaked in a cloak and clad in light armour came out with her deep green eyes flashing with a strong fire; it was the mysterious daughter of King Thranduil, Aurell. After spending years as a ranger next to the Dunedain, she sought revenge for her mother's death but even after centuries of not accomplishing that, she eventually had to embrace her position and came back to Mirkwood. Still, even centuries after her return and centuries without ranging, her strength and battle skill had not waned and the "Lost Princess" of Mirkwood still had some dark secrets and abilities under her sleeve.

"Shut the elegant talking, brother," said the princess rolling her eyes. "Look at her face, she's not buying one thing of your 'kingly' talk and so am I. You know what's going to happen...we both do. We know it's not some random sickness that's been affecting Adar. It's the same thing all over again."

"Well, it seems you still need a lesson in manners," snapped the crown prince back. "Besides, you are exaggerating. Adar is most certainly not grieving...he's got much more sense to do that. The stars say there is hope-"

"The stars? Hope?" snorted Aurell, leaning back against a cupboard with her arms folded. "Ironic coming from the crown prince who writes crappy dark poetry who's unwillingly taken his father's place who rules a dark elven kingdom infested with spiders, orcs and who knows what other kind of malice? Oh, and did I mention we have bloody Dol Guldur as our neighbor? Not the friendliest I've-"

"SILENCE!" said Thalos standing up, sighing, he sat back down. "First of all, my poetry is _amazing,_ mind you. Second of all...I mean, dang Aurell! By ranting about it you aren't solving anything. In fact you're making things worse and you're giving me a migraine." He spun the royal chair he sat upon and now the back of the chair faced the princess and the captain as he looked outside of the window into the dark festering woods of what was once called Greenwood the Great. "Besides, I've got too many things to worry about right now. Other than this wretched work and worrying about Adar, it seems I'm the only one who's actually thinking about finding my little brother."

_"Excuse me?" _said Aurell. "Only _you_? You must be insane! I've been looking everywhere! I'm the one who sent the patrols. I'm the one who alerted all the other elven kingdoms. I'm the one who organized the search parties. Trust me, I want to find Legolas just as much as you do, he's my little brother too, if you haven't noticed. Don't think that-"

Beluriel thought it was time to intervene, coughing, the royal siblings stopped their fighting. Aurell quietly ceased speaking while Thalos spun his chair around to face her. "My lord, my lady. This _bickering_ of yours solves _nothing_. If you two could just calm down, we all might be closer to finding Legolas." She paused and sighed. "I know I am no kin of his but I _am_ his friend. And if he were here right now, all he'd want is for you two to please shut up and focus."

For a while, all was silent. It filled the room, that eerie sense of nothing...the quiet shadow that hung upon Mirkwood.

Suddenly, Thalos sighed. "I suppose you are right but you do not completely understand how hard this is on all of us...in _us_ both in particular. If we lose Legolas...then we don't only lose him, we lose Adar. And we cannot afford losing him again. This kingdom can't." He sighed and then looked at her, his eyes almost pleading. "_Please_ tell me you have good news to deliver."

She internally gulped. "Good news are scarce these days, my lord," she said neutrally.

"Dammit," snapped Aurell. "Always the bad stuff comes to us. Mandos really does seem to hate Mirkwood. Anyways, go on Beluriel. What have you to say? Is it a report on your patrol to find Legolas? If it is bad, say it quickly, for I hate waiting."

_So do I, but I am not going to like what happens after, _she thought and then, without saying anything, she carefully unsheathed Legolas' knives and put them forth on the royal desk. Too stunned to speak, Aurell stumbled forward to get a better look, her face pale and Thalos did as well, a sad, shocked look in his face, his hands wrapping around the handle of the knives quietly. Then, Beluriel gave them the report of the search, when she had finished, the princess spoke up.

"That's it," she said, almost sobbing, her voice still strong but crackling. "Legolas is gone...and maybe forever, Mandos knows where. He would never leave those knives...much less bury them under stone. T-Those knives..."

"They were Nana's knives, his last memories of her," whispered Thalos quietly. "I know. I was there when she gave them to him...and I saw how wide his smile was when he got them." He buried his head in his hands. "He was a warrior. I knew that when he started growing up. I was always precautious...because there was always _that_ danger. I knew that one day, in one second, my life could change forever...and my little brother might be gone from me. Perished in battle. I knew _that _was one of the risks Legolas was taking...but this." He paused and looked back at her. "Did you even find a body?"

Beluriel sighed and whispered quietly. "No my lord."

Suddenly, she didn't know where it came from, but she had a sudden explosion of energy. An inspiration. What would Legolas do in her place? She had to be strong...she couldn't and _wouldn't_ forget him. Nope...that wasn't something friends just did. If their places were reversed, Legolas would never give up...it wasn't too late for her. Gathering her courage, she grabbed a map of Middle Earth, opened in and slammed it down on the desk, surprising the royals with her boldness.

"We cannot lose hope," she insisted as she started pinpointing some places. "He can't just disappear out of nowhere. He is somewhere, I can _feel _it...we just haven't looked hard enough. He must be out there. These knives...they mean nothing! They are valuable for our search, yes, but we cannot think of them negatively. This should encourage us...they are not so damaged so it means Legolas was still alive at that time and hopefully he still is today. There is hope...and that's the_ important _thing," she looked up and faced two different pairs of eyes, both a stunningly serious tone of green, "we _**cannot**_ lose hope."

**O-O-O**

Estel grabbed the piece of lembas the elf had offered him...and then he _threw_ it at him.

Fortunately for him, the accuracy was perfect. It hit Legolas square in the jaw and as soft as lembas was, it was still kind of disgusting. Wiping pieces off from his flawless shaped and clear jaw, the elf turned to scowl at the human. "What did you do_ that _for? You just wasted a perfectly decent piece of lembas!"

_"Excuse me?"_ snapped Estel. "You just told me I'm going to die! I think I _do _have a right to throw some lembas at your annoying elf face."

"That," said Legolas sitting down calmly, "is kind of true. But not the annoying elf face thing...I am rather vain about my face and trust me, it's not annoying, it's _**fabulous**_. Anyways, about your death...well, you won't exactly die. We have two days to get to Fangorn. If we don't...you _will _die." He thought for a moment and added, "_Very_ painfully."

"Thank you for adding that," muttered Estel and sighed, dumping himself down on the barge. "It certainly brightens my mood! I will die painfully if I don't get to this weird, mystical forest in two days. I climbed through the wretched Misty Mountains. I've been chased by orcs, goblins and wargs. I get lots of gruesome injuries and risk my tail for you by running out in the forest gathering supplies. And now I'm going to _die? _What would I do for some _good_ news?"

"Hey, Mr. Darkness and Shadows!" said Legolas grinning, still being cheerful. "Don't be so negative...seriously. I mean, everything is not that bad. We still have lembas!"

Estel glared at him. "I don't want any of your _bloody_ lembas!"

"_Jeez_, fine. No need to raise your voice about it, watch your language," said Legolas, sounding more amused than offended as he stuffed a small bite of lembas in his mouth. "Anyways, there _is_ some good news. While you were unconscious, I managed to kill the yrch and other filths that were facing us. So we're basically clear now. Also, I managed to make a barge and since you were unconscious for like, a day, we'll reach Fangorn tomorrow morning and hopefully they will cure you."

The young human sighed. "Well, at least you did something while I was gone...and wait, I was gone for a _day_?"

"Yes you were," said Legolas. He then handed Estel a cup of what seemed clear water but still, the human poked it suspiciously...growing up as a healer's son, he had his suspicions. "Now, drink this, it's for your own good. It'll slow the symptons from the orc poison."

Estel held it in his hand but made no move to drink it. "Wait, I have a question before I drink it..."

"Yes?"

"Well, you wiped up all the bloody things that were chasing us back there!" exclaimed Estel. "I don't think an average guard could do _that._"

"I am not-" suddenly, Legolas stopped abruptly, as if he were regretting something and then continued. "I am not an _average_ guard. I am one of the better guards...one of the king's elite body guards. I was trained by the king's best archer, an elf called Feredir. He taught me all I know about battle. Besides, I have had experience, penneth. That changes a warrior drastically. Now, please drink that blasted drink...it's for your very own good."

Estel, too tired to argue, drank the entire cup and handed the cup to the elf, who was smiling suspiciously. Putting the cup aside, the elf leaned back and grinned at the human. He suddenly felt dizzy, his head drowsy and his eyes started fluttering shut. He turned one last time to glare at the elf, who was smugly grinning at him as he ate another piece of lembas. Dang! How many pieces of lembas was this elf going to eat? Wasn't one small bite enough to fill a grown man? Well, this elf _sure _had an appetite. Putting that aside, Estel slowly found himself lying down on the barge, fatigue entering his body as Legolas smiled.

"Sweet dreams sleepy head," he said grinning. "I'll take first watch, don't you worry. Rest well..._you'll_ need it."

**O-O-O**

"This is one of the most peculiar things I have ever seen."

The night was cool and dark, showered by starlight. The other elves, all in merry moods, had dragged their elflings to the fields of Lórien, in order to be able to further appreciate their heavenly light and to enjoy the night, as they spoke under a curtain of gold. However, some had stayed behind, some high ranking officials with late night work to do or servants, cleaning up remains and other things. In the tallest balcony, in the stronghold of Lothlórien, a tall elleth stood and though her eyes, crystal blue, were wise and old, her face looked young and hopeful. She was slender and her beauty was far beyond the power of words. She was light itself, precious and pure. She turned around from the balcony and entered the heavily plushed room, where an elf, also quite handsome, was reading a book.

The elf, Lord Celeborn, looked up from what he was reading and flashed his beloved, the Lady of the Golden Wood, Lady Galadriel, a smile. "And why is that, may I ask?"

"Our little Estel shows such hate towards him," she started as she headed towards her husband, with a thoughtful smile as she then sat next to him in the bed. "And yet, he chose to stand beside him when it would have been more wise to leave. And Legolas...oh well, he's a charming little thing all right but he is definitely annoyed by Estel's youth. After all, he has much to learn and often speaks before thinking. And yet...Legolas chose to spare him, he chose to _guide_ him, to protect him."

"They are very different, _melleth-nín_," explained Celeborn, putting his book aside as his wife leaned her glorious head on his sturdy shoulder. "In those differences however, they find similarities. And those similarities are what bring them both together."

"They share a bond," said Galadriel as she looked out from the window, watching as the moon shone bright upon the sky and reflected, not so far off, two small figures in a little barge sailing further south. "A strange bond...it is not strong yet, but it is there. It is tight and only tightening even more."

"Galadriel, don't you think that we should help them?" asked Celeborn, concerned. "They've been through so much...we should help them. And Estel, for Valar's sake-"

"No, not now _melleth_," whispered Galadriel. "I can have foresee great things happening with those two. They will have to make some sacrifices, yes...but they're about to receive something much greater than that. They both have great destinies to look up to...I can just _feel_ it, but now is not the time to tell them that and tonight, we will let faith take them through their journey. Instead, we pray to the stars and Earendil...to hope they can survive through the process."

**O-O-O**

**AN: Haha! A nice short chappie I whipped up in about a day. So Galadriel and Celeborn know...but they're letting them go on this journey of theirs? LOL, they deserve an A+ in being grandparents. However, this chapter was pretty badass: because we now get multiple POVs! THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR! I love making Mirkwood POVs so you'll see many of those in the future. Anyways, here are some answers from the awesome reviews you guys gave me! ;)**

**Emi the Ninja: **LOL, yes. XD Mandos does hate them...but hey! So far they're alive! At least Mandos doesn't hate them _that_ much..._yet_.

**Luin: **It's great that you think this story is unique because it indeed is! And yes, Chapter 4 sure was a handful. Hahaha...I like how much you love Legolas' stubborness. And yes, Legolas is very calm because he's a prince and he's sort of been trained for these kinds of stressful situations. And finally, I'm not spoiling much but...these two will get hurt. _A lot_,may I add. I've got some awfully 'nice' plans for them. MWAHAHAHA! XD

**Masked Man 2: **Haha, Legolas is not the most comforting person to be around with. :P Anyways, yup! That chapter was sure exciting...with the rocks and everything! Here, after fighting even more creatures and having rocks fall on him, the prince seems okay...but is he really? And yes, some things seem awfully confusing after that...I might want to improve my fluency in writing. Thanks for the advice. And the she-elf...this chapter kind of explains that! :) And yes, there will be many more interactions between Legolas and Estel in the future. Also...of course I aim for unexpected. And there will be many more twists in the future so beware.

**Things to look forward next chapter: Next stop, Legolas and Estel end up in Fangorn Forest (which proves to be pretty 'exciting' for Estel). And where there's Fangorn, there are... YAY, TREE ENTS! :D**

**Oh, and we'll take a look in the search for the 'lost' Legolas and another look in how our favorite elven king is coping. Stay tuned folks and thanks for reading! XD**


	6. Chapter 6

_Previously on Chapter 5..._

_"-They both have great destinies to look up to...I can just feel it, but now is not the time to tell them that and tonight, we will let faith take them through their journey. Instead, we pray to the stars and Earendil...to hope they can survive through the process."_

**Chapter 6**

Legolas sat cross-legged quietly in the barge as the river sailed south.

The annoying ungrateful little _peredhil _had finally fallen asleep. His chattering had almost made him mad and the elf was glad to have some silence. These days had definitely been a handful for him and he was glad for the little rest he had.

Suddenly, he wheezed and a flash of pain entered him. He decided to lie down and as they floated down the stream, he looked up at the starry night sky. Starlight...that was the light woodelves loved the most. It was precious and pure, so far away but so close at the same time. It was hope...and that was something Mirkwood needed these days.

His ribs hurt. Maybe it was because he had a bunch of bruises around his chest from some fights previous to his meeting with the young boy. And he had other injuries that bandages and athellas wouldn't heal so easily. He hadn't told the kid...even though Legolas needed the healing herbs more than the boy did, he let Estel use them. Besides, Legolas could probably endure the pain, unlike young Estel. He sighed as he stood and sat back up. He needed to take watch or else they might get risk getting seen by orcs again.

Slowly, he realized his eyes had moved towards the sleeping boy. He was curled up like a cat dangerously near the rim of the barge, where he could risk falling off and into the rapid waters where he'd most likely drown. His shoulder-length long, dark brown hair was messy, caked with mud and some broken twigs. His breathing was peaceful although he often shivered because of the gales of wind that they were facing. Sighing again, Legolas grabbed his own cloak and put it on the boy, who unconsciously smiled in relief for the newfound warmth and only curled tighter against the cloak.

The elf watched quietly...as annoying as this one was, he was amused by him. There was something about him that, I dunno, that made him like him...and then suddenly, Legolas why: he reminded him of himself. Sure, he knew this peredhil must be lying about who he is but he was clever, give him that. He had wits and a stubborn, a dry sense of humor that were simply annoying...but wasn't that what his older siblings always called him?

Legolas sighed again. He wondered how his brother and sister were doing right now. He grunted in response to his own question. Thalos would probably shrug it off, saying that Legolas would come back soon and was just having another 'tantrum;' that he had most important things to worry about as crown prince. Aurell would probably worry for the first few days but then shove it off as well, calling him an 'irresponsible' and eventually agreeing with Thalos that he'd come back soon. And his Adar...? Legolas snorted.

His Adar wouldn't care at all.

He supposed this little journey was for the best though. Of course this had taken a bit longer than usual, but after he'd shipped Estel to be healed in Fangorn. They would split ways; the peredhil could go wherever he wanted and Legolas would finally go and fulfill the purpose of this journey. Then, he'd return home and he'd finally show his family that he could be just as good as the rest of them. That he wasn't a liability.

Suddenly, Legolas stood up and looked around. Besides the rushing water of the river and the flitting of dragonflies, he felt something else. Something strange. It wasn't an orc or a spider...in fact, it was nothing dangerous. He felt some kind of strange force...something he couldn't quite understand. He'd learned how to track those creatures since he could climb a tree but whatever this strange feeling was, it was still unsettling to him. Shaking it off, he pushed Estel closer to the center of the barge gently, so he wouldn't fall into the water or drown. Then Legolas would have to go in and save the day, as _always_...but Legolas was like a cat. Water was not his element.

He was probably too sleep deprived, he thought. Sitting crosslegged, standing vigil next to Estel, he thought that a five minute nap would be nothing. Elves slept with their eyes open...and the woodland elves had managed that the most. Besides, nobody slept that well anyways with spiders and orcs roaming their lands day and night. The Mirkwood elves could be half-asleep but also half-cautious at the same time. And yet, as he slowly drifted into half-unconsciousness...

He couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was watching them.

**O-O-O**

Morning light poured in through the gold of the mallorn leaves. The tall trees sheltered them and gave them a golden curtain of light, precious and pure. Fresh morning dew settled on the silvery leaves and a ripe scent settled in the air, as sweet as the song of the birds. Only a few elves were awake, servants preparing for the day and high-ranking officials, with meetings and all other whatnot to do early in the morning. None of these noticed the two elves with raven black hair with matching dimples and sea blue eyes as they sat on the tallest branches of the mallorn trees, looking down and watching the day proceed.

"Oh Ro, do you know what I most like about mornings?"

One of the black-haired elves looked up from a book he was reading. "Hmm...let me guess. Do you like how easy it is to prank elves? Everything is so calm and nobody suspects anything happening."

"Right," said Elladan, the eldest son of Elrond and eldest of the twins. The Twins of Imladris, Elladan and Elrohir, were also called the 'Trickster Twins,' a name that came from centuries and centuries of endless jokes and pranks, which caused chaos not only in Imladris but in most of the elven kingdoms. "Talking about pranks..."

"Three..." Elrohir put his book in his pocket and joined his brother in the countdown. "Two..." they grinned at each other, although there was no sound in the air. "One..." and suddenly, there was a huge growl in the air, not a scream of surprise but rather, the growl of somebody who had been the endless victim of their pranks, a mixture of annoyance and anger.

_"ELRONDION TWINS!"_

"Zero!" exclaimed Elladan and both twins laughed. They even fell out of their branch and tumbled down on the floor, against the golden mallorn leaves that had fallen in the ground. They were still laughing when a very angry and sticky Marchwarden strided forward, his very eyes looking sharp enough to kill orcs. Veins bulged in his neck as he grabbed both twins by the collar of their shirts and held them up, which did stop them laughing.

"_You_ and _you_ are in so much bloody trouble! I am so sick of both of you already! You might have fooled everybody else with your pretty little faces...oh, but that was when you were elflings. That doesn't work on me anymore. And I thought I'd had enough work in my life. I have my bloody Marchwarden duties, I have patrols to lead, I have meetings and councils and assemblies, I have bloody paper work, I have bloody agreements and treaties to sign, I have frustrating training sessions with the rookies, I have bloody battles to fight, I have bloody orcs to hunt down, I have to deal with the bloody housework _and_ I have to deal with bloody Rúmil!" said the elf. "And now I have to deal with you two! You two are bloody impossible!"

Elrohir smirked, "That's a lot of bloody's, don't you think, Marchwarden?"

The twins laughed and high-fived each other while the Marchwarden's glare intensified. Haldir of Lórien was the Marchwarden of Lórien, one of the highest military posts in all of Lórien. The job held great importance but also great responsibility but Haldir dealt with all of this just fine. Graduating as the best of his class, he'd proceded to a service many thousands of years long dedicating himself to being a Marchwarden. He'd gone all over Middle-Earth and back and he'd fought countless battles, slaying orcs and dark creatures a many. Although none of the creatures he had hated more than these...the Elrondion Twins.

"You two are going to pay! How many times have I told you to stop the pranks? You two will be lords one day and when that unfortunate day comes, you'll have to sober up and leave these childish fetishes away!" snapped Haldir.

"Fetishes? Oh my, what have you been reading, Marchwarden?" asked Elladan.

"And sure, our days as the most badass and handsome lordlings of Middle-Earth will come and we will have to abandon our ways so that they fit our responsibilities..." trailed off Elrohir. Haldir turned to look at him, almost stunned that he'd actually agreed with him.

Then the twins grinned at each other, _"BUT IT IS NOT THIS DAY!" _

Haldir groaned, looking ready to slam his face against a tree. Unfortunately, that would only worsen his situation seeing that he was covered completely from head to toe in sticky honey. He sighed, his grip still tight on the twins' collars. "One day, you two will be the death of me."

"Aww, c'mon Marchwarden, we thought you had more self-control than that!" exclaimed Elladan.

"Yes, we thought you were too good to have your mood broken by a pair of adorable and innocent elves," Elrohir said, batting his eyelashes. In response, Haldir grunted.

Suddenly, from the shadows a figure popped out, taking off her hood and said, "Well, well, an uncontrolled Marchwarden...now that _is_ a rarity."

Almost immediately, the Marchwarden dropped the twins and followed the figure as if in a daze and the twins grinned to each other as they dusted themselves and stood up to greet the figure. Even though Elladan and Elrohir had barely met her a few centuries ago, they'd immediately warmed up to her. After all, a sister of Legolas was always a friend of theirs!

"Aurell!" said Elladan grinning. "What brings you here to our humble adobe?"

Princess Aurell gave them one of her rare chuckles as she looked around Lórien's majestic trees and beautiful design. "Besides, out of all the words to describe Lórien...'humble adobe' does not come to me." Then she smiled at them. "Besides, a simple 'good morning' would've been a good enough greeting."

Slowly, she turned around to face the Marchwarden and she flashed him a sly smile along with a small nod. "Marchwarden."

"Princess," he replied in a composed, polite tone as he nodded back, but everybody could tell that he was bursting with emotion in the inside. Something that made Haldir very uncomfortable in the inside, after being the strict, cold Marchwarden of Lórien for many thousands of years.

The twins smirked at each other. The relationship between the Marchwarden and the princess was apparently no surprise to anybody. Fortunately for Haldir's body parts, everybody _except _the king knew about them being together.

Suddenly, she asked Haldir, "How does it go?"

"How does _what_ go?" asked Elladan, only to be ignored.

Haldir sighed as he looked into the princess' icy blue eyes. "It's all very complicated, Aurell. One day, we get a clue and then...we're in a corner. He hasn't been near Lórien, our trackers saw to that. However, we did find his footprints, fresh ones may I add."

"Where?" she asked, the twins could tell she was getting excited.

"Near the river, the one that comes from the Sea of Rhun. His feet were very light, so it was almost hard to register if they were his but they were the faintest of signs. This means that he was extremely careless to leave marks...or simply very injured," said Haldir. "There was also something very interesting...he does not travel by horse but instead, we found another set of smaller, very clumsy steps. He is traveling with a companion."

"A companion?" frowned Aurell. "B-But we lack nobody from our staff. It is complete, nobody from Mirkwood could've gone with him. Besides, we never leave tracks behind. And the twins are here as well...who could this companion be?"

"He or_ she_," said Haldir, "is not an elf, at least that is what we think. That leaves us a human or a dwarf...and since _none _of us will ever be with dwarves..."

"You are implying this companion is a human?" asked Aurell. "Do you think it might be a ranger?"

Haldir shook his head. "No. The footsteps are too small. Besides, I have met with rangers before...the Dunedain are trained much better than this companion of his did. The companion is obviously unexperienced."

"Wait, who are we talking about?" asked Elrohir.

"It's Legolas," said Aurell quietly after a few seconds of silence. Her icy blue eyes pierced into the darker, sea blue eyes of the twins. "He's gone missing."

**O-O-O**

Estel woke up in _another_ cave.

That sucked, he hadn't exactly been lucky around caves but he supposed it was better than drowning in the river. Besides, he didn't feel too bad. Stretching his cramped body, he slowly sat up and felt relatively better. He was covered in a cloak, which was one of the reasons why he had felt so nice and warm and he realized he had seriously needed that rest. He had never been through so much.

"Think fast!"

He grunted, annoyed by the familiarity of the voice and turned around quickly to catch a speeding egg that had been launched at his direction. He then threw himself down on the floor, leaning against the cave wall and he made a small hole on the egg. He then faced a grinning elf, who was nibbling another piece of lembas. For Valar's sake...how_ many _of those did he have?

"You think fast,_ peredhil_," Legolas said smiling. "That is a good sign."

Estel glared at him. "A sign of what? That I'm not..._dead_ yet?"

"Oh come on, not this depressing mood of yours!" exclaimed Legolas standing up, spreading his arms widely. "It's the last thing we need today. Even a pregnant elleth's mood is much more bright than yours. Besides, cheer up Mr. Shadows, we're in Fangorn Forest! Doesn't it feel fantastic? It feels so much fresher!"

"Well, I don't really see the difference..." said Estel, sarcasm thick on his tongue. "Because I am going to _die_!"

"Aww, now you're just being melodramatic," said Legolas as he crouched down, slung his pack behind his pack and stood up again. "Now, finish your egg and we'll be on our way! The sun rose but a few hours ago...it's best we travel by the morning sun and we'll hopefully be there by mid-day."

"Sure I suppose," said Estel, quickly, he sucked the yolk out of his egg and threw the shell randomly into the cave. This clearly annoyed Legolas (something that pleased Estel very much) who was against littering but decided not to say anything...after all, eggs were kind of organic, weren't they? He stood up, slung his own pack and faced the elf. "Sounds good. And how did you know when the sun rose?"

They walked out of the caves as Legolas said, "Eh...I kind of stayed up all night." And then he added, after seeing Estel's slight frown. "But it's totally fine, you know! I don't need a lot of sleep anyways...the Valar gave me an extra pound of energy. Besides, I stay up all night on patrols."

"And you're not tired at all?" asked Estel, not completely buying it. "Are you sure?"

"Very sure!" exclaimed Legolas and then he led the way out of the cave and waved his hands around, grinning fondly. "There you have it, Estel! Fangorn Forest! Isn't it fantastic? Can't you feel the very purity in the air? The beauty?"

Estel looked around. The cave was located in the middle of the forest...but it wasn't exactly as 'almighty' as Legolas had described it. The forest was full of lush green vegetation...it was literally, very much green. Moss clung on to the barks of trees, wet with morning dew and light green leaves bloomed from every branch. However, there was a slightly eerie aura around the woods. A chilling silence went through his spine and suddenly, the forest felt oddly cold. The trees were curved and made Fangorn look a bit more queer and scary. Although yes, Legolas was right about the air...he didn't know why but this forest smelled_ fantastic_.

Instead, he asked, "It's so quiet...where's everybody?"

Legolas sighed and slowly, they started their way through the mythical woods. Legolas barely made noise but occasionally, Estel's boots would crunch against some branch or leaf and the elf would regard him with a look that told him he should be more careful. The forest was the largest piece of land he'd ever seen and despite the cold eeriness, he was in awe at the same time. However, as soon as Legolas started speaking, his attention turned away from the forest but on the elf.

"Fangorn used to spread much larger than this," said Legolas. "_Far_ larger. The territory spread from Eriador and Calenardhon and once this forest was rich and pure. It was _alive_, blooming with life and plants. Through the First Age and the Second Age, peace was mantained in this forest...until around the end of the Second Age. Most of this forest was destroyed by then, since Fangorn had the richest of resources, the Númenóreans came and felled down it's great trees, making war ships for the war..."

A silence came after that and quietly, Estel asked, "That war...was it the War of the Alliance? Sauron's war?"

"Yes. It was the first time both elves and humans worked together against a common foe. They won that battle...although at a heavy cost," said Legolas and then he paused and continued. "My grandfather and father fought in that war. Grandfather never came home and two-thirds of Mirkwood's army was slain. My father barely came out alive. After the war, after so many losses...the elves and the humans never worked together ever since."

Estel wanted to argue but found that he couldn't. His race had been a disgrace in that war and Estel looked down, in slight shame. Isildur, overcome by the greed and corruption of the One Ring, had refused to throw the ring into the deadly fires of Mount Doom. And that mistake had cost thousands of lives and was the very reason why corruption was now upon the once peaceful lands of Middle-Earth. The race of men had gone insane, corrupted just as much as Isildur...and all honor that race used to have, was gone.

"B-But do you think it's possible?" whispered Estel, looking back up at the elf.

"Do I think what is possible?" asked Legolas.

"You know...another alliance of elves and men?" said Estel. "Do you think that one day, elves and men will work again, together to vanquish their foes? Do you think that one day...all of Middle-Earth will work together?"

Suddenly, he heard a laugh and frowned as the elf chuckled, his head shaking, his eyes looking a bit sad. He put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You have big dreams, little _peredhil_, but when that happens I would have already sailed. Men and elves are not in their best terms right now, much less all of Middle-Earth. We have so many differences, but so little time to talk about them." Then the elf sighed. "Besides, I hope that moment does not come soon, for when it does...it means we are all truly desperate."

Then Legolas winked. "Besides, there is _no_ way I'm going to be working with a smelly little dwarf. My brother says horse dung smells like flowers next to them."

Estel cracked a small smile. Seeing that Legolas was reacting pretty well, he saw it as a sign that he could dwelve just a little further. "Legolas, can I ask you a question? Well...I was wondering about what you knew about Nazgul."

In a split second, the elf turned grim. "I know a bit...why do you want to know? Do you not know the story of the rings?"

"I do, but-" Estel trailed off when he was cut down by Legolas' voice.

"_Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men, doomed to die, One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne, In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie," _chanted Legolas in an eerie voice.

Suddenly, it was as if even the forest was scared. There was no sound, no smell, no movements at all. It was as if Fangorn was a creature alive, just as frozen in fear as Estel was. A quick migraine went through his head and then cleared. Legolas then continued his explanation, his face still grim. "The Nine, also known as the Nazgul, the _Ulairi, _were once nine great kings of Men. Once they received their rings, they fell under their power and corruption and became bounded to Sauron, becoming his most loyal servants. Therefore, they were granted even more power...immortality."

Estel knew he'd gone too far and that he'd dwelt too deep into such dark subject. Seeking to lighten the darkened mood, he asked instead, "All right...um, thank you for the explanation. Anyways, I have another question. Who's this person that's going to heal me up?"

A mysterious grin came from the elf. "Maybe 'person' isn't the right word."

"So he or she is not a human?" asked Estel. "Is it an elf, like you?"

"None of those," said Legolas, as the boy gaped at him and grinned with amusement. "Come along now Estel...you'll see very soon. But we've got miles to cover and even a turtle could outspeed you based on how quickly you are walking right now."

And so they did. Despite the fact that only the eastern part of the original Fangorn Forest remained, Estel was panting after so much walking. He grew even more pale on the thought of thinking how much walking he'd be doing if the _entire _forest had remained; he shuddered. Legolas, despite having stayed up all night, had seemed tireless, jumping over obstacles and walking cheerfully and only after three hours, he'd noticed the young boy was just in the verge of fainting. They rested under the shade of some trees and Estel drunk a few skins of water and _finally_ accepted some of Legolas' lembas because of starvation. Legolas paced back and forth, gushing about Fangorn and making more travel plans.

"We'll be there in about ten to twenty minutes," stated Legolas. "The center of Fangorn! I've never actually been in the center, really...I was only allowed to go on the edges of the forest, nothing more...but actually going to the middle of Middle-Earth's purest and oldest forest! Oh my, how incredible! Did you know that...?"

And Legolas continued rambling something about how awesome Fangorn was and was so intent on doing so that he didn't notice that Estel had stumbled towards a tree, his hand against the tree for support. One second, he was just fine, eating lembas when suddenly, his throat had felt dry and then...he'd been blinded. His eyes felt like they were on fire, like they were made of wax. He took deep breaths and suddenly, he felt sweat trickling down his forehead. Everything was so hot, it was burning...when had the temperature turned so high?

Suddenly, Legolas turned around and frowned, walking forward. "Estel, are you all right?"

The elf almost felt like slapping himself. The boy was obviously _not_ all right. By now, he was screaming, asking to stop the pain, clutching his eyes. Sweat stuck to the boy's shirt and more seemed to come out. Estel's skin tone had gone from slightly tanned to paper white, a white paler than moonlight. Legolas leaned forward when suddenly, Estel barfed, letting out a disgusting mixture on the ground and..._a lot _of it on Legolas' clothes. The elf looked bothered by the mess, for he was usually pretty neat but his concern was not on his clothes but rather on the vomit, when he saw the color of it...

It was black.

Well, it was green and slightly purple-ish, with just a few specks of black but still...none of that was normal. Grunting, Legolas grabbed a water skin and was disappointed to find that it was only a fourth full. _Whatever,_ he thought as he used it to clean Estel's face and keep him hydrated for a while,_ I don't need much water anyways. The peredhil needs it more than I do. _He grabbed both of their packs, slung them across his back and grabbed Estel. The boy was heavy...damn, why couldn't mortals control their diets? Legolas snorted as he eased the boy up and slowly, put him horizontally on his shoulder, although that made the boy squirm and groan occasionally. If humans were vegetarians like him, maybe they wouldn't weigh so much.

As he took one step forward, he cursed in Sindarin. He was lucky nobody was there...Thalos would have shoved a bar of soap into his mouth. The weight...it was too much. Every step was painful and with his own injuries... "Oh Valar, why do you hate me so?" he asked out loud, although he knew nobody would hurt me. Suddenly, he put Estel down and quickly massaged his tired arms. However, as he looked down at Estel's groaning form, which was vomiting more of those black things occasionally, he knew he couldn't give up. His arms for a life...it seemed like a good deal. Besides, it was his fault...if he'd never dragged the boy into this trouble, he wouldn't be feeling so much pain right now.

He scooped down the boy and put him on his shoulders again. "Valar gave me enhanced skills for a reason, I suppose," he muttered. "Might as well make that useful."

And he took a step forward. And then another. And another. Until suddenly...he was running.

**O-O-O**

Estel woke up.

He felt a bit dizzy, but otherwise he was all right. Groaning to himself, he slowly sat up. He realized he was outdoors and he could smell the scent of fresh pine and that he was lying on a pretty large quilt, which was on top of a slab of stone two times wider and taller than he was. He looked at himself. He had been cleansed and he felt much more civilized now. He even wore fresh clothes, a light green attire. There was not a speck of dirt on him and his hair had been combed and everything, the dark rich curls shining once more with their usual splendor. His leg had been bandaged, along with other parts that had been injured and his chest smelled of athellas. Then, feeling something strange in his neck, his hand went there.

He saw he was wearing a necklace...no, an amulet. The string was made of a strong, old vine and hanging from it, was a strange stone with some runes he'd never seen before and two symbols in Tengwar, which he could've normally deciphered but his head still needed to clear off a bit. Making a move to take it off because it was so heavy and it slightly hurt his neck, he heard a voice from his left.

"Don't take it off! It's powerful magic, you know."

Estel grinned and turned around to see Legolas. Unlike him, Legolas still looked the same with the same dirty attire and a very worn out cloak. Fatigue and injuries were now more visible in him, some cuts in his face. He wondered if he was hiding anything worse. And also...Legolas' shirt was covered in barf. His barf. Slowly, the memories came back and he remembered everything. Groaning, he stood a bit straighter.

"Hello Legolas," he said.

"Hello Estel, how are you feeling?" asked the archer.

"Better I suppose," said Estel. "Kind of...purified. I kind of needed the bath I suppose. Sorry for the...erm, barf by the way. I didn't mean to."

"Of course you didn't mean to! You were sick, it's none of your fault. You wouldn't have done it on purpose anyways...right?" asked Legolas, grinning at him.

Estel chuckled along with the him, shaking his head. "No, never! I mean, you are annoying but I wouldn't purposely barf on you. I'm not as evil as my brothers..." Then he paused and poked at the amulet hanging from his neck. "So, what is this?"

"It's a _nestad-gond,_ a healing stone," said Legolas, getting excited. "It is a rare kind of magical stone, brought over from Valinor many ages ago. It can only be fully activated by Quenya runes, an old elvish language long forgotten by most. My kin brought them over to Fangorn as a gift and they've been here ever since. Only a few places have them and it allows the bearer to be fully healed and immune against any diseases as long as he or she is wearing it. It is truly amazing!"

"What happens if you take if off?" asked Estel, curiously.

"I-I, well...I wouldn't recommend it," said Legolas nervously. "We haven't exactly cured you yet. We know the antidote for the poison of course. The poison is called _gûr-thûl_, death breath. It is a very rare poison, straight from Mordor but it is not impossible to cure. We've got all of the ingredients except only a few but for now, you'll be fine, if not better."

Estel shuddered. Death breath...woo hoo! That sounded like such a positive name for a poison that was currently running through his veins and that could currently kill him instantaneously. Anyways, he was glad there was a cure for this poison...there was hope at least. Like his name.

"How many people have been affected by this 'death breath' poison?" he asked Legolas, suddenly a bit curious.

"Erm...three," said Legolas. "But-"

"And out of all the three," said Estel. "How many of them got out alive?"

"Er...look, it was all very complicated. In the past, Middle-Earth wasn't as well developed in the art of healing. Many diseases and poisons were yet undiscovered-"

"Legolas," said Estel firmly, wanting to get to the point. "How. Many. Of. Them. Got. Out. Alive?"

Legolas looked down absently, he whispered in a low voice, although a voice perfectly audible for Estel, "One."

Estel leaned back, his mind blank, his heart nearly skipping a beat. If one out of three people had gotten this poison, there were little to no chances for him to heal from this. Suddenly, he lurched back forward, surprising both himself and Legolas.

"Then why don't we go to this person? This survivor? Why did we need to come all this way into this wretched forest and-?" he started before Legolas snapped.

"It is not wretched. Appreciate Fangorn's beauty and purity, _peredhil_. Show some respect. Besides, that survivor you're talking about, the one who was able to beat the _gûr-thûl _out of his system..." the elf took a deep breath, "was_ me_."

**O-O-O**

**Sorry for the delay guys! At least twenty chapters of my other story, The Spring Festival were accidentally deleted! O_O And I'm still trying to find it. Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter. The concept of the healing stones and the 'death breath' is invented, so it's not actually real... Now, for the awesome reviews!**

**Luin: **Haha! Yes, it's all mixed up! What a family Legolas has. And Thranduil? Well...you'll see him much more in the next chapter. And haha, does this show what the twins are doing?

**Masked Man 2: **Celeborn and Galadriel had a daughter, Celebrían (but...eh, she goes to Valinor because of an encounter she had with orcs...long story). Celebrían then proceded to marry Elrond and they had the twins and Arwen. That's why Estel is technically their grandson. The language issue...yes, you're right, it's kind of modern but I'm not very good using Old English. I kind of combine it all...LOL, so yes, I'm afraid I'm never going to get over those little language mistakes but thanks for the advice, man! Hahaha...and Legolas and Beluriel? Who knows? ;) I'm glad you find this all interesting...because it'll just get better in time.


	7. Chapter 7

_Previously on Chapter 6..._

_"- 'Besides, that survivor you're talking about, the one who was able to beat the gûr-thûl out of his system...' the elf took a deep breath, 'was me.' "_

**Chapter 7**

"He does not look like a _peredhil_ to me."

Estel internally frowned as he realized two people were sleeping. He hadn't realized he had ever fallen asleep but right now, it seemed that he was lying on a makeshift bed and by how uncomfortable it felt, it seemed the bed was made of acorns. Had Legolas drugged him? He did not dare open his eyes though, for...yes, some of the twins' mischievous attitude had passed on to him and he wanted to eavesdrop very badly. You could not judge him! He was just a curious boy and what had his foster father said about it? _"A man who seeks knowledge and wisdom should only be nurtured and encouraged, not pushed away."_

He heard a snort and immediately identified it as Legolas. "Of course he is not, Treebeard. He's just a little adan boy. I've known it all along. He's being lying to me the whole time...and that is a smart move. Besides, he barely knows me and it is most likely that after this,he will never see me again."

Treebeard? Who was that? Estel fought the urge to open his eyes but he couldn't get caught eavesdropping, perhaps this Treebeard was just a friend of Legolas. He heard Treebeard response. He had a warm voice, low and thick but full of joy and wisdom. "And yet there is something inside his blood I cannot quite register..."

"Indeed, I felt it too when I first met him," replied Legolas. "I know he will not spill but I am curious of him. Tell me Treebeard, why would a young boy be found alone in the woods?"

"I know not. Your tale is wild and the Entmoot and I at first had trouble believing it...but I do believe it is true. This boy survived far longer than most do with the 'death breath' in his veins. He has something inside him, something that makes him different from the other humans I saw before in past centuries." It was obvious in his tone that this Treebeard wasn't fond of humans...but well, neither was Estel so he didn't judge him. "Tell me child of the forest, what do you think is the story of this child?"

There was some silence before Legolas started his analysis. "Well, he being human led me to do nationalities: either he was part of the Rohirrim or the Gondorhim. By his frame and coloring though, he looked more like someone from Gondor. And yet...his name, Treebeard, his name. It is Elvish, hope...and why hope? I have been thinking this all the time...and I finally thought of the answer. He must be a spoil of war."

A spoil of war. Estel almost shuddered but didn't. It meant he was the remains of war...could it be, though? When he had asked his mother, the twins or his foster father of his heritage, they had always avoided the topic or said that it was something 'for later.' But could it be? Could his real father been some soldier that died in the War of the Alliance or any battle after that? Or had he been a higher ranking General, a friend of Dan and Ro's?

"Your analysis is fair, child of the forest. And yet I can see you are fond of this child...if you do not know of him, why do you protect him so?"

The answer came quickly enough. "He's a child, nothing more. He's defenseless and alone in the wild, reminds me of myself I suppose. I vowed no child, regardless of being a human, should suffer what I did. As soon as I get the last material for his remedy, I will leave and do what I originally came to do."

"Ah," Estel heard a slight crunch and thought that this Treebeard had leaned back wherever he was sitting. "I had wondered when you'd speak of that. Your little quest...you do know it is a mad idea, don't you?"

"Mad, yes," admitted Legolas although he was defiant. "But not impossible."

"It is a suicide mission," said Treebeard. "We owe much to your kin...that is why we vowed to protect your kind as your has to us. It would not be wise if we let you go on this mad mission and see your corpse returned to us."

"This is what I am talking about!" said Legolas. "Nobody believes in me...I am a liability to my family! They think I am a weakness! I do one mistake-although of course I do admit it was my fault-and all the other good things I did in the past are forgotten! Am I really so useless to Mirkwood? I _can _do this...I have faced worse odds-"

"But never alone," said Treebeard and since Legolas did not speak to interrupt him, he continued. "Do not take their words deep into your heart, child. For sometimes, words are said in a rush and are careless. In the heat of the moment, there is no straight thinking and anger that is not truly meant to come out, does. They love you Legolas and there is no denying it. You have given them nothing but worry since you left."

He heard Legolas stand up and leave, uttering another snort. "Thank you for your advice and comfort Treebeard, I do appreciate it. Really. I would believe it more, though, if my very own father hadn't called me a disgrace to our line."

Estel thought about what he just heard. _He_, himself, wanted to snort out loud. How could Legolas ever be called a liability? He was...well, perfect! He was a flawless warrior, a good-looking elf and with a witty but kind personality. How could someone like him be ever called something like a 'disgrace?' Besides, he was an elf...he was just like the rest. He wasn't looked down at just because he was of another race and that race just had to be the one that made that one mistake that brought all this darkness upon Middle-Earth. He wasn't a clumsy adan who no matter how many times he tried, couldn't get things right. He wasn't a 'foolish' person that had rumors and insults spoken about him behind his back. And yet, Estel found himself siding with Legolas in this argument...

Because Estel felt _just_ like Legolas was.

**O-O-O**

How many times had Thalos stood in front of this door?

The numbers seemed infinite to him and yet, he could not quite recall if he'd been as nervous as he was right now. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. This was no strange door...this was the door to his Adar's office. This was the door where he had basically spent his entire childhood in, training to be his father's heir and the future king. This was where he had grown up, surrounded by maps and treaties. This was where he and his Adar had worked together and he'd known an Adar different than the one right now. A time before Aurell and Legolas had yet to be born...where it had just been him, his Nana and his Ada, the funnest, most caring and bravest elf he'd ever known.

But that elf vanished just as soon as his Nana had died, cruelly raped and mutilated by orcs. His Adar's heart had been twisted to the point of darkness and he'd fallen into a state of depression. Everything to the Elvenking had been dull and colorless and everything, even living...seemed useless. Thalos then had been forced to be his father's regent, dealing with court prematurely and facing a new huge perspective of the world. And he'd been prepared of course...but oh, how afraid had he been. Nobody had been there to guide him. The Adar whom he had looked up to so much had simply crumbled. The one he'd always thought to be the bravest and strongest of all elves...so weak and vulnerable. And although everyone thought his Adar was going to fade away and as much as he almost believed them...

He had hope.

He had hope because once, unlike Aurell and Legolas, he'd seen a laughing Adar. An Adar who would be willing to ignore his work for a while just to make mudpies with you. An Adar who would stay with him at night and tell him stories until you fell asleep. An Adar that had always been patient, using his warm hands to guide you and teach you the right way to hold a sword. An Adar who loved his child so, _so _much. And even though that side of his Adar might never show again and his little brother and sister might never know how he had once been, he had hope he would change and that he would persevere.

Thalos sighed, hesitating to knock.

He shouldn't be afraid...he was the crown prince, the heir. How could he be afraid of his own father? To face him? He was supposed to be perfect. Handsome and fair. Polite and diplomatic. Strong and agile. Witty and sly. Clever and leader-like. Brave. And hadn't he achieved all of that? And yet...he wasn't perfect. He didn't want to be perfect. He didn't want everyone looking up at him expectantly. He wanted the freedom to be free, to be true to himself. And he wasn't perfect either...only the Valar could achieve such greatness. He couldn't.

He shook his head. He was being stupid. He was thinking too much...he was just going to check on his Adar, for god's sake! He smirked as he thought of what his siblings would do. Aurell, as defiant as always, would make a plan, choosing her words carefully before knocking and going into their Adar's office, shouting some pretty soap-worthy curse words and using some high volume. And Legolas? His smirk only grew larger. Legolas wouldn't even knock, he'd just barge into the office, shouting his arguments and starting another heated fight with his Adar. And no matter how bad things ended up, Legolas would always hold ground. Which was when Thalos knew he had to intervene before things got ugly.

He knocked.

He heard nothing except for a few muffled sounds. He supposed his Adar was telling him to not enter but he shrugged it off and entered anyways. He opened the huge oak doar and closed it behind him. Immediately, he nearly choked and covered his nose with the cloth of his shirt. The room was a mess. Books had been pushed out of their bookcases, scrolls were crumpled up in the ground and almost everywhere, were pieces of broken glass.

"Adar, this smells _terrible_, how long has it been since you've cleaned the room?" asked Thalos as he walked towards an armchair where the Elf-king sat.

It certainly wasn't one of the best days for King Thranduil. His robes were dirty and wrinkled. His hair, normally described as one of the most beautiful things in Middle-Earth, was a pale, sick yellow, unlike its usual golden color. His eyes were bloodshot from the lack of sleep and his face was quiet, emotionless but filled with a strange sort of darkness.

"I do not bother anymore," he muttered. He looked up and his blue eyes, the feature only Legolas had inherited, met Thalos' gray ones. "It's my fault."

Thalos sighed and there was a moment of silence (although his father's whispers of "it's my fault" kept echoing through the room) while he cleaned up the mess. He knelt down, picking up all of the fallen scrolls and he rolled them up again, inserting them where they needed to go. He picked up the books and put them back in their book case. Thalos organized them all in alphabetic title order...just because his Adar liked it like that. Then he started picking up the pieces of glass, making a pile with them and putting them into a waste basket.

After that, he sat down in an armchair in front of his Adar and started talking. "Adar...he's not lost. We cannot lose hope...he is out there somewhere. We are not sure where but we've been looking everywhere. We have found clues though and have also alerted all other elven kingdoms. In fact, Aurell is in Lórien right now, they said they found some crucial clues to the search." The truth was Thalos knew that his sister also had other reasons to go to Lórien. He wanted to smirk but he wouldn't betray his sister...not _yet_.

"And tell me," said Thranduil, a small spark of sarcasm, "have you found Legolas? Do you even have the most _remote_ idea of where he might be heading? Or are you just going to expect to find him riding back towards Mirkwood with his hair flowing in the wind, firing arrows into the sunset?"

Thalos wanted to snap back at him but calmed down, replying in a restrained form. "Of course not but this is no easy task. Legolas is our best tracker...if he chose to hide from us, he would and he could do it...very well. He knows the terrain much better than most of us-"

"It's useless! Can't you see? He's gone to who knows where and once Legolas is involved in something there is no way you can disuade him," growled Thranduil, veins bulging in his neck. "Miluneth's last gift to me, my youngest son...gone. Just gone. And it's my fault."

The crown prince's temper broke. "Well! If you loved him and truly cherished him, maybe you wouldn't be sitting here like a drunk idiot, doing absolutely _nothing_! You would be trying to find him, not sulking about it!"

Without realizing, their voices had raised and so had they. They stood before each other, their heights just about the same. Thranduil's dark blue hues cutted through Thalos' silvery gray but there was something mutual in there: anger.

Sighing, Thalos sat back in his chair, knowing this was no way to solve anything. His eyes and voice softened, "I'm sorry Adar, I shouldn't have spoken like that."

"I suppose you have my apologies as well," said Thranduil dryly. Then the Elf-king looked down with a sad look in his face, his words coming out as whispers. "I lost my temper...although I have lost so much."

Suddenly, the crown prince realized how much his Adar had actually done. A teenage Thranduil had gone to one of Middle-Earth's largest wars, the War of the Alliance and he'd actually fought there and seen whatever horrors there were. Then, he'd seen his very own father get killed by orcs...and as the only child, he had become king. Then, he'd had two-thirds of his army annihilated in the war and only returned with one-third to his home, which was now starting to get plagued by a strange evil source that brought Greenwood filths like orcs and spiders. Then, he'd faced a mourning, crumbling kingdom which he, a teenager, had to fix by himself. His very own mother abandoned him, too depressed to live and had sailed to Valinor. Only to find that all of teenage Thranduil's efforts in war had been a waste, because of Isildur's mistake. And his wife, the only hope that had kept him going, had died a few thousand years after that and King Thranduil had been left a widower with three children to raise.

And just like that, he forgave his father. "We have all lost things in life, Adar..." whispered Thalos. "The important thing is that we_ still _have some things left and we should cherish them to our hearts, to make sure those things don't go away."

Then they said nothing, because sometimes...silence is more powerful than words.

**O-O-O**

Estel thought he was dreaming...when he woke up, the first thing he saw was a tree.

And not just any tree. A tree with a face...and arms and feet and everything! For a while, all Estel could do was gape at the massive tree. It was at least five times larger than the average man and yet, the tree's face was kind, cracked into a warm, shy smile. Estel started shaking his head. Maybe all this sickness was finally getting into his head! He pinched his arm, whispering to himself, "No, I must be dreaming..."

"I am afraid you are not, child," smiled the tree and Estel immediately recognized the voice as the one who had spoken to Legolas earlier. "My name is Treebeard. I am the oldest of Tree Ents from the Entmoot. Welcome to Fangorn Forest, young one."

For a while, all Estel could go was keep gaping at the tree. "T-Tree Ent?"

"Yes child, Tree Ents," said Treebeard. "Your surprise was expected of course. Little of us are left. Especially after the loss of our Entwives. We have not been able to conceive Entings for a long time and as the darkness increases, our population does the opposite."

"Y-You speak!" exclaimed the boy.

The tree laughed. "Indeed we do. For when the elves came from Valinor, they gave us the gift of speech and they cured our dumbness. That is, I suppose, what differs us from our other tree kin. Whilst they can only speak with their minds, we speak physically."

"Oh," said Estel as he sat up the makeshift acorn bed. "I see. Um...thank you for having us. I hope we weren't a bother."

"It was my pleasure having you two here," said Treebeard. "We're generally to all those who don't want to chop us down or who aren't orcs. Besides, you two were delightful, almost no bother at all. Besides, the entire Entmoot didn't hesitate to help you when you came to us. You certainly do look better as well...when Legolas had brought you here, you looked like death had claimed you already."

Woo hoo! Because Estel totally wanted to know that.

He shot a look down at the _nestad-gond_, the healing stone, that rested in his chest. If it weren't for this amulet, he would have died already. He wondered how something so small could do something as big as block out a fierce, dark Mordor poison. He shrugged it off, he didn't have time to think about magical jewelry.

"Talking about Legolas," said Estel jumping down from the bed and facing the huge Tree Ent sleepily. "Where is he?"

"He went to search for the last ingredient for the remedy but a few hours ago," said Treebeard. "He'll come back today at night or tomorrow morning at most. We only need the leaves of a rare flower that is located in the southern part of the forest," and he added after seeing Estel's eyes of concern, "he'll be fine by the way. He knows the way."

Suddenly, Treebeard pointed towards a table that was beside Estel's makeshift bed. "Oh, I also agreed to make breakfast for you. I reckoned you would need some food and strength after all you've been through. Are you hungry?"

Treebeard had no idea.

As Estel ate his breakfast, a hearty meal full of fish, mashed up taters, sausages and eggs, he sat down and listened to Treebeard speak. Besides being a tree, a fact Estel still couldn't seem to fully comprehend, he found the Tree Ent just as normal as any person. He was likeable and kind and soon, Estel found himself just as entranced in Treebeard's stories as he had been in Legolas'. The tree told stories of Fangorn old, when it had been much larger than what it was now and where every moment was full of happiness. He told him of the different Ages and the different wars and battles he'd fought, something that Estel thought was slightly amusing to picture. A tree fighting? That was unusual, give it that.

After the meal, Estel was shown around Fangorn. He met the Entmoot, who gave him some strange stares but kept a polite tone with him. Estel didn't mind...elves gave him that glance a lot anyways. As he followed Treebeard around, he soon realized Legolas was right. Fangorn Forest was truly beautiful...in it's own way of course. It was eerie and strange yet there was something strangely familiar in this forest. Something mythical that brought all that nostalgia in you out.

And talking about Legolas, he wondered how the elf was doing...

**O-O-O**

**AN: Yes, yes...I know. This chapter was much more sentimental rather than action-packed. But hey! I left it in a cliffie! Aren't cliffies simply **_**EXCITING? **_***Dodges tomatoes from angry readers* Haha...just kidding. Cliffies are terrible...but you guys will have to wait! And the FIFA World Cup is going to give the players two days of rest (today and Thursday), so I'll have more time to write if I'm not watching it...**

**BUT OMG! FRIDAY WILL BE SO FREAKING INCREDIBLE! FRANCE VS. GERMANY WILL BE THE BEST GAME EVER! And although I love Germany and Thomas Muller, Mario Gotze and the whole lot of them are awesome...France has a good chance of winning with Benzema, Matuiti, Valbuena, Giroud and the rest of them! And BRAZIL VS. COLOMBIA! And hey, I have a friend who's Colombian but...BRAZIL ALL THE WAY! :) **

***Coughs* Sorry, you can ignore that. Usually I don't really like soccer but I got kind of interested and started some research with all this excitement from the World Cup!**

**Anyways, the responses to my beautiful reviews! :) EEK! So many compliments! I liked how y'all really loved Chapter 6! Especially the part with the twins...that's actually my 2nd draft, my first draft of that part was going to be in Chapter 5 but it was HORRIBLE so I erased it and waited for my muse to come and...BAZINGA!**

**Tsuki Hikaru: **Well...since I'm not so good at converting elf years to human years, I'll just tell you Legolas' elf years. This story is ten years before the Battle of Five Armies, or seventy years before Lord of the Rings. So Legolas is _around _2,930. The thing is that I might have phrased it wrong. I suppose I meant _AT LEAST_ three inches. Besides, Estel is a pretty tall ten year old, he ends up beating Legolas out of height in the future anyways. AND he does have some Dunedain blood in him you know. But good catch, my friend!

**Blonde Fanatic: **I will try! Thanks! :)

**Guest: **Thank you! I'm glad you think it's amazing! And sure, this chapter is not very exciting but around Chapter 8 or 9...let's just say Estel's seen better days. *Dramatic cliffhanger music*

**Guest: **As I said...unexpected! :D There'll be plenty of surprises in the future too...mwahaha! Just kidding, I promise not to hurt Estel and Legolas too badly.

**Luin: **Haha, yes! Because everybody loves the twins. :) Did you know that they were also the ones who trained Legolas to be a prankster too? And thanks! Of course I'll keep going! As I said, about Legolas getting the death breath..._unexpected! _

**Guest: **Hahaha...yup, I think that's pretty self-explanatory! :)

**Masked Man 2: **OMG, I loved your review so much! :D Thank you for all the compliments! First of all, Legolas' family problems do make the story a bit darker and in the future, it'll be something key that brings him and Estel together. And I'm glad you liked the Lórien part! It seems a lot of people liked it! I do appreciate it...it took me a lot to perfection it! And really? EIGHT TIMES? I had to go back and double check. :) In other words, thanks a lot! I'm glad this chapter was your favorite (and it's my personal favorite so far) and I hope you'll like other chapters in the future as much as you did with Ch.6!

**Schattenjagd: **Thanks for tuning in and deciding to keep reading! :) I appreciate your support. In the future, I will reveal how Legolas survived, using flashbacks so you'll know...but just sayin', it's not going to be pretty. And thanks! I kind of combined the best of both Legolas. In the book, he's much more serious and determined but he's still very defiant and fiercely loyal to everybody in the Fellowship. In the movie, he's much more childish and cheery, more carefree. And although he's the quietest of the fellowship, he shows a lot of emotion and does create very tight bonds with everybody. I combined all of the good things and some other stuff of my own to create my very own gorgeous version of Legolas! :)


	8. Chapter 8

_Previously on Chapter 7..._

_"And talking about Legolas, he wondered how the elf was doing..."_

**Chapter 8**

Legolas' heart was beating one thousand beats per second.

Normally, he could've easily fought his foes off but right now, he did not stand a single chance against the five, very angry and hungry wargs that had chased him all over the southern part of Fangorn. He'd lost his arrows behind him, while he had been stuck in a tree by the wargs and the arrows had fallen off while he had painfully climbed the tree. He wanted to look back and retrieve them, but he knew he should keep running (or well, _limping_) and try not to look back to his imminent death.

He sighed with longing. First his knives and _now_ his arrows? Mandos really did hate him.

And to make matters worse, Legolas was injured. His left knee was dislocated and therefore, he had to drag it as he walked. The only thing that kept him going was his right leg and a long stick he'd picked up as support. He could also feel the homemade leaf bandage on his right shoulder getting damper by the second and if he didn't patch it up properly soon, he knew he had a good chance of dying of blood loss. It was that or getting turned into elf chowder by a couple of wargs. Neither was very good to him.

The only good thing of this situation was that he did have the flowers Estel needed.

Legolas loved nature. Being a wood-elf, loving trees and anything natural was an instinct they all had when they were born, but Legolas knew that from this day on, he would _never_ see flowers the same again. And, his hate for wargs was just going to increase more. How greedy could they be? There was an_ entire bush _of these flowers right in the forest (unfortunately, that bush just had to be under the tree that these wargs had been resting in) and they couldn't even share _a couple _with him?

Talk about selfish.

Suddenly, Legolas let out a small scream as he felt a dash of pain cross his leg. He fell unto the ground with a great _thump _and looked back. One of the wargs had catched up with him and had been able to sink it's teeth into Legolas' leg...and to make matters even worse, he had bitten Legolas' _good_ leg, meaning that he now had injuries in _both _of his legs. Legolas, gritting his teeth, grabbed his bow and swung it across the warg's head. The warg whimpered and fell down unconscious in the ground. The archer quickly got up and started on his way, with four very hungry wargs behind him.

Legolas knew his bow could be an effective weapon for his defense. However, he knew that he could not use it for offense. The bow certainly didn't have the same uses as a sword or an ax and it was just barely strong enough to become a very weak club. Other than that, the bow was close to useless without its arrows.

And yet, he was lucky to have something to protect himself with. He'd done worse things with worse circumstances than this. He had to be grateful for what little he had. Besides, if he lost his bow _again, _his brother would kill him, since this had been his birthday present for Legolas when the archer had turned of age. As Legolas half-ran, half-limped, he thought about the warg bite. Sure, a lot of blood was gurgling out from the wound and bleeding in two places was not going to be good for him. Even now, he felt slightly dizzy and soon, blood loss would overcome him. He needed to either kill these wargs, which seemed a bit impossible in his current state or hide somewhere until he could get them by surprise.

Legolas sighed, at least they didn't have rabies.

Or...did they? The elf really wanted to not think about it as he ran. In the distance however, he saw something that made him gulp. Thinking too much about the wargs that were about to devour him, he had ran into nowhere and now...he was lost. He looked around, trying to identify some kind of sign or feature he'd seen before...but nothing. Everything looked exactly the same! He realized now that the trees he had been dodging as he ran were now getting less and less. Legolas had arrived at a large valley with almost no trees and that not a few feet away from him...it was a dead end.

Legolas looked to both of his sides and saw that the wargs were slowly keeping up with him, trying to surround him so that they could overpower him more easily. He grabbed his bow and swung it at them. Unfortunately, these wargs were more clever and were able to avoid every hit but it did slow them down, which was the only thing he wanted to accomplish. Soon however, he reached the dead end and realized he was on top of a cliff. He looked down and hissed. Beneath him, _at least_ thirty meters below, was a river. Legolas was not fond of water, at all. Sure, he knew how to swim but it didn't mean he liked doing it. He prefered to have firm ground under his feet or better, the thick bark of a tree. But water? He shuddered...no way in Arda.

He looked down, he felt the weight of his choice on him. Either he risked it or he tried to fight these wargs. However, the sound of the hungry growls of the wargs behind him made his choice a bit easier...

And he jumped.

Legolas smirked as he heard the annoyed, frustrated howls of the wargs as they did nothing and watched as the elf fell down the cliff. He didn't have much time to feel triumphant though, as he focused on where he was going to fall. Soon, the archer hit the water and was engulfed in the water. For many minutes, he was trapped under the strong currents. An icy cold sensation drilled through his body and he wanted to scream out but he found out that the water blocked all sound at all. He was in a prison of silence...and he hated every second of it. He fought to reach the surface, for he knew that he was running out of air; however, the potence of the river was too strong and he found out that it was dragging him further and further away.

Until Legolas hit something hard and got whacked his head.

He scowled as he grabbed on to whatever had hit him. Realizing it was an abnormally huge rock, he summoned strength into both of his arms and using his legs to push himself out of the water. Finally, after at least five minutes of being underwater, he was able to break free of the water and reach the surface. Gasping for air, he took a couple deep gulps, recovering his breath and dragged himself out of the water to sit on the rock. He was soaked wet from top to bottom and cursed. This were the only clothes he'd brought with him. He checked his pocket for the flowesr and sighed in relief as he found them wet but other than that, in a good state. Normally, nobody would've had a reason to smile but Legolas cracked a small grin as he touched his hair. Even after being injured, chased by wargs, falling off a cliff and surviving minutes underwater, his braids were in tact and not a hair was out of place. In fact, his hair looked even _more_ shiny than before!

He smirked as he thought of his brother, teasing him and asking him about how he kept his hair so fabulous, even in battle. Although no matter how badly his brother begged...he would never reveal his secret.

He wondered if Treebeard's previous words had been true. _Obviously _Legolas knew Thalos and his sister loved him. Thalos had basically been there for all of Legolas' childhood, when he had needed someone the most. He had been both a father and a mother to him after..._the incident. _And sure, Aurell had been absent in his life for about a thousand years but even she had warmed up to him. She was more like a friend than a sister, really. She was his biggest ally, always supporting anything he wanted to do and often acting as that extra boost of confident he needed. And...his Adar. He loved Legolas, the archer supposed but maybe his Adar's idea of 'love' was tougher than that of the other fathers. However, Legolas flinched as he remembered that day. The day of the fight. The day he had decided to leave for this quest of his. They had _**all**_ turned against him...and darn, it hurt.

A scent was suddenly caught in his nose and he turned around sharply to hear the distant growls of wargs. Damn, were those bastards insistent. Legolas sighed, seriously wondering what he had done to Mandos for him to hate him so much. The archer was already injured in several places, was bleeding from two places, had a dislocated knee and was completely wet. He looked into the clear water, looking at his reflection for the first time in weeks. He looked terrible...or well, at least in royal standards.

He then dived into the water, wincing as he let the water take him further on.

**O-O-O**

Beluriel frowned as she reached Imladris.

The round courtyard where the guests normally arrived and were greeted was empty. A chilling silence entered through the entire compound and the captain of the Mirkwood cavalry could barely believe this was the life-filled, Vilya-guarded Rivendell. Immediately, she knew something was very wrong. _Extremely_ wrong. She guided her horse towards the stables and fed the horse an apple. Whispering for her to stay there, Beluriel went off towards the Imladris ground to investigate, clutching the letter Prince Thalos had written to explain their situation, firmly in her hands.

She had only gone to Imladris once. She had been very young and had still the shy elleth who had been lucky enough to be the apprentice to Prince Legolas. Until this day, she had no idea why someone as him would have chosen her, a lady who was training to be a blacksmith, to be his apprentice. Anyways, that time, Legolas had taken her on a 'field trip' and they'd ended up tracking a band of orcs for two weeks. They'd traveled over the Misty Mountains and had killed the remaining orcs of that party before they had been trapped in a wild snow storm. They'd taken shelter in Imladris, where she and Legolas had been warmly welcomed.

She shook Legolas off as she walked through the halls. If she kept thinking about how he was, it would make this search much more difficult.

The halls were mostly empty, occasionally filled with some passing servant running to do an errant or some kind of scholar clutching a pile of books heading off to some meeting. They had all greeted her with a nod and she'd replied likewise but she still found this all very strange. Something was definitely wrong...She couldn't shake out this eerie feeling off her shoulders. It was as if a cape of silence had settled upon Imladris. A sensation of sadness hung in the very air.

Beluriel twisted through the maze of pristine white halls to head towards Lord Elrond's office. She realized soon that the famous-or well, rather _infamous _Trickster Twins of Imladris were not home. If they were, this place would be filled with more laughter and yes...shrieks. Although she knew that wasn't the source of this quiet around Imladris.

Suddenly, sensing another presence in the same hall she was walking in, she looked up to see a woman walking from the direction Beluriel was going to. She was pretty, with long sunshine blonde hair streaming down her shoulder. Her eyes were a deep gray, bold and shaped in a smooth, almond shape. Her face was round but kind-looking, with a warm glow about her. She wore a richly done, yellow and green dress. She wore a circlet with jewels hanging from it, so it meant she was someone with a rank in court. The woman walked miserably, as if all life had been sucked away from her. She looked down at the floor and without looking where she was walking and before Beluriel could say something, the woman bumped into her.

The captain didn't think clearly and in instinct, she scowled and exclaimed, "Oí, watch where you're going!"

The woman looked up startled and frowned at her, making signs with her hands. Now, it was Beluriel's turn to be confused. Slowly, the woman spoke up, speaking in flawless common Westron. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you. And...I-I don't speak your language. I just never could-"

Beluriel put a hand up, waving the issue away. She, herself, switched to her rough Westron. "No worries. I am sure it was just an accident."

She then squinted closely at the woman. An elf had superior senses. How come this person did not sense that she would bump into Beluriel before it happened? Then...she realized this was no elleth. The woman did not have the celestial aura most elves did and neither did she have sharp ears. So then...why would a mortal woman be in Lord Elrond's court?

"You are not an elleth," Beluriel said, almost to herself. "Are you visiting Lord Elrond?"

The woman bit her lip, as if she were thinking something over and she said. "Aye. I am no she-elf. I'm just a plain 'Mortal,' as you elves call me. And no, I am not visiting Lord Elrond, although I suppose he...is a friend of mine. I live here," she said. "Are you looking for him? I could show you the way to his office."

Beluriel was stunned. She had no idea that Lord Elrond had mortals in his settlement. And if she was a friend of his...then she must be a very good one. Or perhaps she was a friend of Lord Elrond's sons...the captain had heard that the Elrondion twins had many friends within the Dunédain. Maybe this Gilraen was related to one of their friends? "It is nice meeting you, Lady Gilraen. I am Captain Beluriel of Mirkwood. Your offer is most gracious...yet I must refuse. I know the way myself and besides, I would not like to disturb you."

"Nonsense...I wasn't going anywhere anyways," said Gilraen. "Consider this as my apology."

In the end, Beluriel had to agree. She followed the woman through the Imladris ground and realized that she was grateful for this woman's guidance. She knew Legolas went to Imladris regularly but Beluriel had not gone in centuries...memory could get rusty. For a long while, she and Gilraen walked in silence until curiosity probably got the better of the woman.

"You speak Westron...like Lord Elrond. Why is that? Most of your kind don't really know how to speak it," Gilraen said.

"That is true," admitted Beluriel. "My people choose not to meddle with yours. They have grown wary of Mortals and even avoid their language. I, myself did not want to learn but my duties as captain required me to learn multiple languages. Besides, the quantities of elves who speak Westron are little and the chances of your kin teaching mine are even smaller."

"Who taught you then?" asked the woman curiously.

Beluriel bit her own lip. Legolas was always a tricky subject these days. "M-My mentor did. He is fluent in many languages and while I was under his apprenticeship, he said that I would use the common tongue in the future."

"Did it take you long to learn?" asked the woman, with a small, empathetic smile.

"No...well, I mean, yes I suppose. It took me a few decades or so and for us, elves, a decade is not as long as you humans imagine it," said Beluriel and sighed, letting out a small chuckle accidentally. "Besides, even centuries after learning it, my common tongue is bad. I must sound pretty terrible."

"No, no!" assured Gilraen. "It's excellent, really. Maybe you do have a slight accent but other than that, you speak great! It's flawless if you compare me learning your language. I don't get one single thing. Estel in the other hand, speaks it perfectly. He-"

And then she stopped mid-air. Her face paled and turned back into it's former, miserable look. _Estel_...what an interesting name. Hope was much more of a girl's name but it was a rather beautiful name, in her opinion. But who was Estel? And was he human like Gilraen or was he an elf? She whispered softly, "Is this Estel very precious to you, my lady?"

Lady Gilraen replied just as softly, her voice cracking. "H-He is my son, Captain."

For a while, Beluriel was quiet. Before she could speak however, she realized they had already reached Lord Elrond's office. The beautiful oak door was open and the captain of the Mirkwood cavalry took a peak inside. The walls were made of alabaster and were covered in maps and charts. The ceiling itself was a painting! It was all very surreal. And it was also incredible how the Lord of Imladris could make a mess of papers, books, scrolls and herbs seem warm and welcoming. Currently, Lord Elrond was standing over his large, rich ebony desk with four other elves. They spoke in hushed voices as they pointed and moved their hands over what seemed a map. The meeting ended though, when Lord Elrond saw them at the door and dismissed them all.

Three of the elves that were with Lord Elrond went out. They seemed almost oblivious of Gilraen's existence as they passed right next to her without a greeting, their faces serious and grim. They nodded to Beluriel though as they saw her badges and warrior braids. The captain was forced to nod back, although not willingly. Sure, mortals and elves would never be friends for a long time...however, this was no reason for someone to not acknowledge somebody. She could not believe her very own kin, the wisest race of all Middle Earth...could have racism inside them. She had only been with Gilraen for five minutes and she could already tell the woman was a very good person. Gilraen however, seemed used to this and showed no emotion about the issue.

Lord Elrond beckoned them inside with a smile. "Gilraen, Captain Beluriel. Please come in, I hope I did not make you two wait too long. There were matters to be discussed."

Beluriel and Gilraen entered the office and Beluriel took a deep bow, handing the letter Thalos had written to the elf next to Elrond, who thanked her and quickly started reading it. She assumed he was Lord Elrond's chief counsellor. "There is no need to be so modest, _hir-nín_. It is I, that must apologize. My lord, Prince Thalos, apologizes for not sending a letter in advance. The circumstances are grim at home...we did not have time to send a messenger."

Elrond smiled again, beckoning them both to sit down in the chairs in front of his desk. They both did and that was when he spoke, "We understand. Imladris is always a friend of Mirkwood...any elf from there is welcomed here. With or without letter." Then he added, flashing a warm smile at Gilraen, "Oh, and how have you been faring, Gilraen?"

"Excellent, thank you my lord," said Gilraen, although Beluriel could tell she was not as happy as she seemed. However, Lord Elrond seemed to find that answer satisfactory enough and let it go.

"Now, let us speak about your issue," said Elrond and turned once more to Captain Beluriel. "Let me guess...does this problem of yours include Legolas?" When Beluriel responded with a bare nod, he sighed. "Oh no, what happened again to that dear child?"

"H-He is missing, _hír-nin_," whispered Beluriel.

Immediately, both Lord Elrond and Gilraen's faces became sheet white. They both glanced at each other with worried gazes and even Lord Elrond's chief counsellor looked up from the letter, startled. Nobody dared say a thing until the counsellor asked, "Oh dear, Mandos seems to follow every move that dear child does. When was this, may I ask?"

"Eight weeks ago," said Beluriel and added after she saw their faces become even more grim. "And we know that Legolas often leaves but he has never left us for so long. The maximum he's ever left us is four months...it is troubling us all very deeply."

"Troubling indeed," said Elrond and then said quietly, almost to himself, "It is even more troubling to me..."

"Why is that, _hir-nin_?" asked Beluriel curiously but with a worried look in her face.

"Because..." Lord Elrond looked at Gilraen, who was almost at tears and looked back to the captain of the Mirkwood cavalry, "two weeks after that, my foster son went missing as well."

**O-O-O**

Estel could get used to this.

He was sitting against a huge willow tree. Treebeard had told him to explore Fangorn as much as he wanted while he and the Entmoot spoke about something. A cool breeze swayed and shook his shoulder-length dark brown hair and sighed. Peace and quiet. He breathed in and smiled. He could finally understand why Legolas liked this forest so much...it was old but it was so very pure. It was as if it had never been touched at all and Estel could imagine this forest in the First Age. He could feel the memory in the very air.

Next to him, a small stream trickled into a medium-sized pond. Estel had considered swimming in it, after all, he did love water. The pond was not even deep anyways, so it was safe enoug for him, if Estel's feet touched the bottom, the water would only reach the bottom of his neck. However, he went against it. He was a bit tired after so many things and he thought some rest would be much better. He smiled with his eyes closed, he thought about the times the twins had secretly taken him diving.

He sighed, he truly missed his brothers. He thought about the true purpose of this journey...but now, after all the adventure he'd gone through. Did he truly want to go to Lórien? Even now, as close as he was right now from achieving it...he still felt unsure. How would his brothers react anyways? How would Daeradar and Daernaneth? He groaned and shook his head, opening his eyes. Why was his life so complicated? He sighed once again and played with the powerful amulet that was currently resting on his chest. The _nestad-gond _glowed with a warm green color and the Quenya runes glowed with a bright golden color.

Suddenly, he heard a strange sound and quickly stood up, picking up his sword. He looked around in case of any danger. However, from the corner of his eyes, he saw a small figure coming from the river towards the pond and as the figure drifted closer to him, Estel gasped, dropping the sword and jumping into the water.

It was Legolas.

In the water, Estel grabbed Legolas by his shoulders and slowly dragged him closer to the rim of the pond. As gently as he could, he pushed Legolas out of the water and jumped out of it himself. As he spread Legolas out, he examined the elf for any injuries...which he obviously had. The boy snorted in disbelief...this elf seemed to drag trouble everywhere he went. He made a brief scan through the elf. He was bleeding in two places, his shoulder and one of his legs. He had some cuts and bruises in some places, which could be easily healed with some athellas paste. Estel was not very sure, but he knew something was wrong in Legolas' ribs and in one of his knees.

First things first, he cleaned the wounds. After making sure they weren't infected yet, he grabbed his sword and cut two long pieces of the green fabric of his shirt. He made them into long strips and bandaged Legolas' shoulder and knee. As he finished his work, Estel gave himself a pat in the back. His father would be proud of him...it turned out that maybe those medical lessons weren't a waste of his time after all. Suddenly, Estel realized something...he hadn't checked to see if Legolas was breathing! He quickly put two fingers on Legolas' throat and...

No heartbeat.

Estel went into panic. He had no idea what to do. He practically went insane at that moment. After all, what would you do if the body of a dead elf sailed down a river to ruin your peace? Estel quickly tried again and again, using various methods to determine if the elf was alive. Should he scream out and ask for help? Should he get Legolas to the Entmoot? He tried to return back to those faithful medical lessons in Imladris. He needed to remember...and quickly. He leaned into Legolas' chest and after minutes of intensity, he realized there was a heartbeat...although a very faint one. He sighed and leaned back against the tree in relief.

_All right Estel, all you need to do is perform some basic cardiopulmonary resucitation_, he said to himself. _You've seen Ada do it all the time...it should be easy, right?_

As he knelt next to Legolas' unconscious body, he imagined his Ada right next to him, dictating the instructions. First, he placed the heel of his hand in the middle of Legolas' chest. He put his other hand on top of the first and interlaced his fingers. He then compressed some thirty times, hoping that in one of the times, he'd be able to get some water out of Legolas' lungs. Estel turned out to be lucky (for the first time in weeks, it seemed) because by the fifth time, he watched as Legolas' chest rose up high and then the elf started spluttering, coughing out water.

Estel sighed in relief and stood up, dusting himself as he watched his...well, _companion_, coughed a bit more water and slowly pushed himself up in a sitting position, rubbing his eyes and wiping some water out of his chin. The human used this opportunity to tease him, folding his arms against his chest and standing over Legolas with a grin, "Did you have a nice swim?"

For the first time, Legolas returned with a glare and a scowl. "Very funny. Out of all times, Mr. Shadows finally learns how to make a joke...although a very bad one."

Estel only smirked as he slowly watched the drenched elf struggle to stand up, dizzily crashing towards the willow tree Estel had been sleeping under for support. "Whatever...but I still think a 'thank you' should be in place. I did patch up your wounds and revive you."

"_Correction_, you patched up the wounds I would never have had if I hadn't gone searching for those flowers you needed for your antidote," said Legolas. He grabbed a few flowers out from his pocket and handed it to Estel. Then, the archer let out a small hiss and winced as he painfully clutched his left leg.

"Does it hurt?" asked Estel, stuffing the flowers in his pocket.

Legolas glared at him again, almost as if he were annoyed. Apparently, wet elves didn't have the best of moods. The boy made sure he remembered that. "_No Estel_. I'm _totally _fine. I feel as if I'm on vacation in Valinor and I could just lie there in the sandy shores counting stars forever!"

The boy frowned at him. "Is that sarcasm?"

"OF COURSE IT IS, ESTEL!" said Legolas. The elf had expected the boy to be much smarter than this. After all, Estel used a lot of sarcasm himself...courtesy of the twins. "Because jumping off a cliff _bloody hurts_! Now please get me a stick so that I can go walk. Where is Treebeard, anyways? Shouldn't he be taking care of you? You can't be left alone in Fangorn!"

Estel grabbed a random stick, which looked long and sturdy enough and he handed it to Legolas."Treebeard _has_ taken care of me...he's just discussing something quick with the Entmoot. By the way, your knee...it's dislocated, isn't it?"

The elf swallowed up his pain and replied, "I believe so, although I'm not very sure."

"It's almost impossible to walk with a dislocated knee," said Estel. "And if you do, then it's not going to get any better soon."

"I'll manage," was the elf's gruff response.

They walked towards the center of Fangorn into the home of the Tree Ents. They passed through the thick woods, Estel occasionally shooting a glance sideways at the elf, who was visibly having trouble walking. And even after Estel offered some help, the elf had refused him, shooting him a glare. The boy had shrugged it off...maybe water was what made him so grumpy.

"Seems like you don't like water a lot," said Estel.

Legolas sighed, although the boy saw a small smile form in his lips. "Well...I did actually like it, _once_. My mother used to take my brother and me fishing all the time when we were young. I went diving with my friends often. Not anymore though."

"How come?"

The elf smirked. "I've never really had time with all my duties. But well...when I was young, word was that there was a river in Mirkwood. An _enchanted_ river. A river so dark and corrupted with black magic, that all who touched it fell into a deep sleep and eventually woke with amnesia."

Estel chuckled, not being able to contain his laughter. It echoed through the forest and it was a pleasant noice, and a sound that Fangorn hadn't heard for many centuries. "Oh my, an _enchanted_ river? You didn't believe that, did you?"

Legolas scratched the back of his head, his smile growing wider. "Erm..._maybe_. Anyways, I went with two of my friends to investigate it to see if the tale was true. We got attacked by spiders in the way but after that, we did eventually succeed in tracking down the river. It smelled horrible and it was black as well. Obviously we weren't going to bathe in there but...eh..."

"Let me guess, something happened to you?" said Estel, smirking.

"Yes, I _fell _in," murmured Legolas, looking down although with a smile.

Estel laughed even harder. "Why am I not surprised?"

**O-O-O**

"_Missing_, what do you mean _missing_?!" asked Elrohir, genuinely concerned.

Aurell sighed, turning to flash the Marchwarden a sad look and then she looked back at the twins. "Eight weeks ago, my little brother had an argument with us. There had been an incident at a patrol he was leading. Adar, as always, was being too harsh with him. And things simply got from bad to worse when Thalos joined in...not as the peacemaker, but joining Adar's side. And-And I don't know why, but in the heat of the moment, I joined their side too."

"Whoa," said Elladan. "Three against one? That's kind of cruel."

"It was," the princess said with a shake of her head, "and it was foolish. But my idiotic brother _just_ had to mention a quest which got Legolas all hyped up, only to be harshly turned down by Adar. Legolas stormed out of the office and we really didn't check on him until dinner time...until we realized he was missing. We ran a search through the entire compound and found that Legolas' weapons, some food and a horse were missing-"

"Wait, what's this quest thing your older brother was talking about?" asked Haldir, before she could continue.

She turned to glance at him. "Not very sure. Apparently it was some classified 'Adar-Thalos' issue. However, I think it has to do with some letters Mirkwood has been receiving. _Threats_. Apparently, those filths think they're smart enough to bring down Mirkwood. I think that Thalos wanted to retrieve something from the orcs. Not very sure what either...but apparently, if we don't want to have Mirkwood overrun by orcs...we need to find that thing, and _soon_."

"If Mirkwood is overrun by orcs," said Haldir gravely, "we will have less hope against this darkness. Not only will the orcs be able to expand themselves from Dol Guldur but the orcs would have two strongholds-"

"And my home would be _obliterated_, silly! That's what matters," snapped Aurell whacking him in the side of the head and causing the twins to chuckle beneath their breath. "Honestly Haldir, can't you keep your political mumbo jumbo until you're at work? This is kind of personal."

"Yes, yes, of course," muttered Haldir, although he had a thin smile, as if he were deeply amused by her. However, that smile was immediately clouded by concern. "We could always send some wardens there to help, I suppose."

"That's a good idea," she said. "Haldir and I-"

"Whoa, whoa!" exclaimed Elrohir stepping forward. "What do you mean 'Haldir and I?' Dan and I want to help too! I mean, he's our_ friend_-"

Aurell bit her lip. "Look Elrohir, you and Elladan...I know you two are close to Legolas but-"

"What she wants to say," said Haldir stepping in front of her protectively, "is that you two will only worsen the situation. You two would normally be good help, I admit, but you're just as accident prone as he is...we can't afford to have _him_ and _you two _lost. I'm sorry Elrondion, but this is beyond your reach. We will handle this fine."

Before Elrohir could snort and say something in reply, Elladan sighed, waving his brother away and looking deep into both the Marchwarden and the princess of Mirkwood. "Fine. Have it your way. Let's go Ro."

Elrohir turned to gape at his twin as he dragged Elrohir away from the scene, while the princess nodded in agreement. "Good. I'm glad you get the point. Stay safe and don't cause any trouble around here." She then turned around and smiled slyly at the Marchwarden. "And as for _you_, I believe we have some unfinished business from my last visit."

"Unfinished business-?" Haldir didn't seem to get it until suddenly, a small smile creeping out of his face, he nodded, trying to look as serious and unsuspicious as he could. "I believe so. We'll discuss that in my office. Follow me."

As they parted their different ways, Elrohir was bursting with two emotions. He wanted to laugh at Haldir and Aurell's awkward yet still functioning relationship but he also wanted to whack his stupid brother in the head. He hadn't suspected that Elladan, of all people, to simply give up in a verbal battle like that...especially with the Marchwarden! And they were talking about _Legolas_, for Valar's sake...they couldn't just sit around warily while he was missing! Who knows what in bloody Arda was happening to him right now?

And he told Elladan just that.

"What the bloody Arda was that?!" he exclaimed as the twins reached the stables.

"What the bloody Arda was what?" replied Elladan calmly as he got two horses from the stables of Lórien.

"What? Are you kidding me? You honestly didn't remember what you just did?!" growled Elrohir facing his brother. "You never let anybody stop us! Much less the Marchwarden! This is _Legolas_, for Valar's sake. If our places were reversed, he'd be running in a wild stallion by now with three dozen arrows in his quiver, ready to face whatever was taking us captive! We should be trying to help him!"

Elladan mounted on his horse and flashed a grin at his brother. "Of course we're going to help him, you idiot. But really, you didn't think I was stupid enough to tell them of our plans? And you're my twin...you should know that _nobody_ tells me what to do. We'll get our friend back, even if we have to go through Middle Earth and back. Now brother, will you shut up or are you ready to go save our best friend?"

Elrohir gave him a smile of his own, getting on his own horse. "Bloody Mandos, you bet I am."

**O-O-O**

**AN: Holy guacamole! FOUR POVs! Phew, glad I was finished. No wonder this took me so long, sorry for the tardiness. But I hope these four awesome POVs can make up for that! Your support was awesome guys! Now, here are my responses to the reviews that kept me going while I was practically exhausted and in the verge of abandoning this chapter. BTW, I'm not very good at medical stuff, so I'm not exactly sure if you can still limp with a dislocated knee. So doctors and other people who just feel like correcting me, go ahead! No problem! **

**Emi the Ninja: **Haha! LOL! XD At least for Estel...Legolas hasn't exactly been having fun.

**Masked Man 2: **Damn it! You know what? The other day I was just checking that chapter for any language mistakes...and out of all the 'God's I erased, I can't believe I missed one! Thanks for the catch though, the elves do worship the Valar, not God. I _seriously_ need a beta. Anyways, thank you for the other compliments. Your reviews are always so thoroughly and well made. I'm glad you liked the different sides of Legolas and the conversation he had with Treebeard. Also, WHOA RIGHT? The royal Mirkwood family is sure having a huge emotional drama right now! And it's just going to get more complicated. :) And a 'dreadful occurence'...haha, you could say so.

**Luin: **Thanks! It did kind of take me a while. And Thalos doesn't want to betray his sister because his sister...is in a 'relationship' with Haldir, the Marchwarden. The thing is that Thranduil doesn't know that, so Thalos doesn't want to betray his sister in that. And I will add a flashback in the next chapter...so look forward to it! :)

**Schattenjagd: **Thanks! Hahaha...I know I could've done better in Estel's meeting with Treebeard but I'm glad you liked it! And I'm so glad you love Thalos! He's one of my favorite characters in my fanfics too! I was afraid I hadn't done him well enough since I'm a single child and I don't have any siblings...but I'm glad he was relatable! And yup, Thranduil's relationship with Legolas will definitely appear soon...in fact, there's going to be a flashback next chapter! Finally...awww! Thank you! I'm glad you like this story so much! :)

**Saphira:** Thank you! And they sure are! :) They're called Trickster Twins for a reason I suppose. And I hope this chapter answers your questions about what Elrond is doing! And hahaha...what's going on with Aurell and Haldir? *Chuckles* That's a bit confidential...but I am planning on making a story for them, so don't worry.

**Guest: **Thank you for being so supportive! And I can't tell you when Estel and Legolas are going to discover each other's identities...but it will be soon. And about the twins? Well...that'll take some time too.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Legolas could hear the screams miles away.

After he and Estel had arrived in the center of Fangorn, they had immediately been ushered towards several healing stations. Because of Estel's much more serious, death-threatening condition, most of the Ents were more occupied on him, rather than Legolas. The elf didn't mind. It was a rather nice change for him actually. For once, he wasn't the one fussed over by all of the healers, being offered everything from bandages and needles, to ill-tasting medicine and tasteless herbal teas.

It took Legolas a while to look for everything he needed, for the Ents didn't have as much elven medical supplies as they did in Mirkwood. However, what he mostly needed was some bandages and athellas, so he was all right. Immediately, after he was patched up, his first thought was to limp away as far as he could before Estel got treated. He winced as the painful memories came back to him. The fire burning inside his muscles. The explosion inside his brain. The storm going through his body. The ice chilling his veins. The steel plunging into his back. Mandos laughing at Legolas' face. He shook it all away...that was the past and it should stay in the past.

That was when the screaming started.

Legolas hurried up, trying to get as fast as possible but he found himself collapsing in the willow Estel had previously been resting in. He couldn't walk a lot with the dislocated knee and he wagered he'd need a few days of rest for it to heal completely. However, miles away from where Estel was being treated for the 'death breath' poison, Legolas could still his screams. He only heard the screams and cries of pain the young boy was emitting but fortunately, he couldn't hear Estel's pleadings...but the elf didn't need to hear them to know what they were.

Estel was begging to die.

Legolas sighed, dragging himself to sit near the river. He tried to block off the screams Estel was doing, although he failed in that and decided he should just ignore them for a while and distract himself with something else. He grabbed some nearby pieces of wood and a rock and started trying to make himself some arrows. Still, as he set to work, his heart was twisted in guilt as the screams got louder and louder. He felt useless...like he couldn't help the boy at all. He wondered if this was how his family had felt, helplessly watching as Legolas had been treated, wriggling in pain and begging for it all to stop.

"I feel like an animal," muttered Legolas, trying to make his mind more positive as he looked at his tools. All he had was a sharp rock and wood. And since the Ents were peaceful creatures, having no weapons or steel, there was nothing else he could use. He longed to be back in the Mirkwood smithy, where there were arrays of weapons and had almost every mineral available. Legolas was still feeling miserable about losing his knives and arrows. Especially those knives...they had been a special gift from his Nana. He choked on the mention of her and put it all away, his mind darkening by the mere mention of his mother. And Estel screaming in the background wasn't exactly making it better.

How much would he pay to punch Mandos in the face.

Suddenly, Legolas felt a slight pain in his chest. He winced as he dropped his tools beside him and wrapped his arms around where it hurt. He knew something was wrong was his ribs...after all, he suspected he'd broken a few while being chased by the wargs or if it wasn't there, it was when he'd fallen off the cliff. He cursed, wondering once again in his life why he had such rotten luck all the time.

Legolas leaned back, lying in the grass, finding that it eased the pain. There was a cool wind and it played with his golden hair. He shook his head to himself, wondering why he was being so negative with himself all of the sudden. A smirk came unto his face...maybe spending some time with Mr. Shadows was having an influence on him. His smile then grew wider: he had to think happy. He had to think about the things that made him happy. But...what made him happy? He frowned and started coming up with a list. Thalos, Aurell, his Adar when he was in his all right temper, the bluejays, his friends, anything related to food, _obviously_ his weapons and archery...

However, another scream from Estel broke him off from his thoughts.

Now, he bet the entire forest could hear Estel. Legolas looked around nervously, hoping they weren't loud enough for orcs and wargs to hear. The screams had gotten so loud, that Legolas could hear exactly what Estel was saying and the sobbing he was making. Legolas bit his lip empathetically...he knew what Estel was feeling. And suddenly, without wanting to, he entered the world of memory.

**[BEGIN FLASHBACK]**

_"This isn't fair Adar!" _

_A company of thirty elf guards traveled through the forest, although it must've sounded like none, judging on how quiet they walked. Fifteen in front, fifteen in the back, they guarded two figures which were riding next to each other side by side in the center. One of the figures was tall and had broad shoulders, hinting that he must have incredible strength. The other one was smaller but slender and toned, hinting he must be an archer of some sorts. They both wore elegant attire, hinting royal blood._

_"There is nothing fair in this world, Legolas," said King Thranduil warily, as if he were used to outbursts like this all the time. "Some things just have to be done and sometimes you don't have a choice in them. This is life, so get used to it."_

_"But I do have a choice in this!" exclaimed Legolas. "You had a choice with Nana-"_

_"That was different," his Adar replied, gritting his teeth to stop himself from growling or doing something even worse to his son. "Anyways, this is a matter of great importance Legolas. You cannot hope to avoid it...whether you like it or not."_

_"I don't want to marry though! And I don't see why I have to," argued Legolas. "I'm still very young, I still have to live my life at the fullest, you know? And as I was saying, I don't see why I have to. It's not like I'm the crown prince and I need to produce heirs or anything. That's Thalos' job. Besides, you also have a very beautiful daughter at your disposal-"_

_Thranduil snorted. "Beautiful in the outside maybe. Chances are more likely for Aurell to marry a horse rather than an elf. I swear by the Valar she is more elf than elleth. And your brother is already very old and to find a suitable match and crown princess at his age-"_

_"Aww, come on Adar, he's only around four thousand-!"_

_"And at four thousand I was already married, had two elflings and was expecting another one," snapped Thranduil, interrupting his son. "Your brother will be a brilliant leader one day but in marriages, he's just as stubbornly brainless as you are. Now, that leaves us to you-"_

_"Glad I'm the last resource you have," muttered Legolas._

_"You are a young, fresh, fair-looking elf. You're an agile warrior, are of royal blood, have a pleasant personality and when you don't put yourself into any stupid situations, a decent amount of intelligence. Do you know how many letters I've gotten to marry you off over the years?" continued Thranduil. "I was saving you up for the best offer and I believe this is definitely one good enough."_

_"Please Adar," sighed Legolas rolling his eyes. "I love Arwen as I would to a sister. We have been friends for many centuries. And yet, there is no way that in many centuries more, that I will ever love her as a wife. She does not belong with me and nor will I belong to her, if she doesn't desire it."_

_"This is madness Legolas!" Thranduil replied angrily. "The love of the Evenstar is an unimaginable offer in which elves of your age would throw themselves into a pit for. I cannot understand why you would refuse it. Is it because she is not as beautiful as you dreamed of? Is it because she is not as polite and clever as you dreamed of? Because if that's the case, I will have to disagree with you. She is a perfect match for you and vice versa. Besides, this way, the alliance Mirkwood has would not only strengthen with Imladris but with Lothlorien-"_

_"Yes yes, I get it, hit two birds with one stone," said Legolas rolling his eyes. "But really Adar, why didn't I-?"_

_Suddenly, the prince halted and so did the entire company, glancing at him worriedly. When his Adar asked what in Arda was wrong with him, Legolas only frowned and looked in front of him, his keen eyesight seeing far beyond the darkness of the woods. Finally, he swiftly grabbed his bow and shot an arrow in front of them. For a moment...nothing happened, until suddenly an orc slumped forward, dead. _

_And by the time the cries of the prince of "It's an ambush!" came out, chaos was already loose. _

_At least twenty orcs came from every direction; they were surrounded. Immediately, the elves jumped out of their horses and took out their weapons, doing their best to protect their king and prince, the orcs' targets. Legolas soon lost sight of his father as the horde of orcs overwhelmed them all but he didn't worry for him...if his father survived Dagorlad in the War of the Alliance, he'd be fine with this. Legolas took out his knives, plunging them deep into two orcs and going into the places where help was needed most. He poured out his anger about his father's sudden arranged marriage and it was effective, killing brutally many orcs in battle. _

_Suddenly, Legolas realized they needed to retreat. So far away from the fortress in Mirkwood, it would take some time for reinforcements to come. They needed to step back before the orcs' superior numbers killed them all. Through the massive walls of orcs, he cut his way through and caught a tiny glimpse of blond hair. Heading that way, he was about to reach his father when he heard an awful scream in the air._

_Turning around, he realized one of his comrades was in the ground and he headed towards him, blocking the sword from an orc that was about to finish him off and stabbing him in the gut. Twisting the knife out, the orc slumped dead and Legolas knelt beside his friend. "Merenil...for Valar's sake, what happened to you?"_

_Merenil was one of Legolas' closest friends. He, Legolas, another elf called Thangurion and Beluriel were the best of mates and had always spent their days together, either when it came to dinner or archery practice. 'Merenil' meant joyous and Merenil had kept up with his namesake, always humorous and cheery, always joking...although now he wasn't looking so well. There was a long jagged cut in the side of his head which didn't look pretty and blood coated his chest plate. The most important thing, however, was the arrow stuck in his shoulder, an arrow a black tone darker than what Legolas had ever seen._

_"T-The arrow," croaked Merenil, almost sobbing. "P-Please, t-t-take it off...it hurts so much. It-" he coughed, blood spilling out and Legolas was frozen in shock. "It-It's so painful. Painful beyond I've ever felt. I-It's poisoned-"_

_Suddenly, Legolas felt a presence behind him and saw as an orc was about to slice him open with his ax. The prince closed his eyes, embracing his imminent death. If he were to live in a world where Merenil didn't live, it would be extremely painful. Suddenly, realizing he was alive, he opened his eyes and realized another very smug-looking, dark-haired, green-eyed elf was looking down at them._

_"Oí leaflets! This isn't any time for any lovely afternoon tea talks!" said Thangurion smirking. "If it weren't for me, you two would've had your heads cut off like peaches!"_

_Legolas looked at him and pointed down. "It's Merenil, he got shot. I'll cover you."_

_"Ouch. All right," said Thangurion kneeling next to their wounded and dying friend, who was now howling. Thangurion's father was a healer and his son had inherited some of his healing knowledge. He knelt down and tried to think of a way to get the arrow off while Legolas stood up, switching to his bow and arrows and covering Thangurion while he worked. Slowly, more orc bodies slumped down unto the ground...but still, the orcs kept coming, wave by wave and even more elven bodies slumped dead. Legolas had been trained for things like this all the time and yet his muscles were already starting to hurt, burning with the constant knocking of his arrows._

_Maybe a marriage sounded much better than this._

_After many minutes of fighting and shooting arrows, Legolas suddenly heard a sob and looked down. Thangurion was kneeling next to Merenil's chest. Merenil's face was frozen in fear and pain, his eyes strangely bloodshot, his skin so pale, that every single vein and every single muscle popped out. Soon, Legolas realized the skin was slowly turning another color, a sickening purple...Thangurion was sobbing, looking into his hands, which were filled with black blood...Merenil's blood. And the arrow was still stuck in their friend's shoulder. And without any word, Legolas knew what had happened: Merenil was dead._

_Quietly, he eased a crying Thangurion up. This was not his friend. His friend had a huge ego, was confident of himself and held an obvious sense of sass everywhere he went. But as Legolas helped him stand up, he saw into his friend's eyes another Thangurion. A cold Thangurion, a Thangurion that had seen death. As his friend stood there, in the middle of the massacre, to numb to move anything, Legolas knelt down and jerked the arrow out of Merenil. _

_For a while, all Legolas could do was stare at it. The terrible thing that had killed one of his best friends. It was a dark thing, with Mordor designs but the arrowhead...it was filled with blood. Black blood and with some small drops of green. Legolas froze. He'd studied more than a hundred types of poisons with his mentor, Ranwe, and yet he'd never seen anything like this. This was a new poison, something they'd never discovered...and it could be far deadlier than whatever they'd ever known._

_He had to get to his Adar! They needed to get away and now, before this poison overcame them all. Stuffing the arrow in his pocket, he stood up and scanned the battle zone. After a few minutes after, in which he was both stabbing and trying to look over the sea of orcs, he found a flicker of gold. Still looking at that direction, he shouted, loud enough and hoping Thangurion would hear._

_"Than!" he said, using their childhood nickname for Thangurion. "We need to get to my Adar! Cover my back and left flank, I'll cover your right and front flank."_

_Frowning, he heard no answer and turned around._

_Thangurion lay in the floor and Legolas' own skin paled as he saw the arrow stuck in his friend's stomach. Blood was gurgling at an extreme pace and Thangurion was trying to stop it from gurgling out, putting his hands on the wound. Legolas knelt down next to his friend and watched as Thangurion tore the arrow out by himself, emitting a hiss but then throwing the arrow aside as his skin slowly turned more purple by the second and his body filled with the poison. Legolas tried to check the wound, grabbing one of his water skins and trying to clean it so that it wouldn't be infected but Thangurion held a hand up, stopping him._

_"My friend, my brother," he croaked. "I better say this quick. I-I'm sorry."_

_"Sorry? My friend, there is nothing for you to be sorry for," said Legolas, tightening his hand around Thangurion as his friend's breathing started to be more ragged._

_"I-I'm sorry I couldn't save Meren...and I'm sorry that I'm going to leave you," Thangurion said. "I-I said a pledge. W-When we were novices, remember? T-That I would protect you and your family with my life." A tear rolled out, continued by sobbing. "But I'm not going to die like that. T-The world will remember me for dying for a stupid arrow...or the world might not even remember me at all."_

_"Shh, shh, _mellon_," said Legolas he felt his friend's _fea _starting to fade. "Rest in peace. Let your mind flow. Do not trouble yourself, _mellon_. There is nothing to be sorry for...as long as I am alive, you will never be forgotten. Nor will I forget Meren. Your names will be in the same sentence with the words glory and honor."_

_"I-I-" Thangurion choked out some blood out of his mouth. "I am grateful."_

_Legolas closed his eyes as he felt two clear tear drops flow down his cheeks when suddenly, he felt something wrap around his wrist and opened his eyes to see his friend cracking a painful smile. _

_"F-For my last words, mellon, I w-want to tell you t-to not mourn me. R-Remember me instead...I-I wouldn't like tears in my f-funeral," he whispered as he weakened. "Tell Adar and Naneth that I l-love them too. W-Will you take care of my little m-muindor too?"_

_"Of course," said Legolas. He paused abruptly and turned around to stab the orc who was about to chop of Legolas' head. He then turned back to his friend whose eyes were slowly starting to flutter close._

_Legolas stormed through the battlefield with a raging fury. Using his knives, he chopped his way through the orcs until he reached his Adar. He stood behind his Adar quietly as he killed his foes. Legolas didn't help him...his Adar hated when people interrupted his killing sprees. The prince was visibly impressed as he watched his Adar take down five orcs with one swift swing of his sword. After he had finished, he turned around and looked at Legolas. "Yes?"_

_"We need to go Adar. Now," said Legolas. He handed his Adar the arrow and Thranduil examined it with queer interest. "This is a poisoned arrow-"_

_"It's black. It has blood in it. It is from Mordor. Of course I know it is poisoned, Legolas," said Thranduil throwing the black arrow made from Mordor and stamping it into pieces with disgust."Tell me something I don't know."_

_"This is no poison we know of!" exclaimed Legolas. "We need to turn right back and get reinforcements. We need to investigate this. Two of our elves fell under this poison within minutes...with this, they could annihilate our entire troops within half an hour! Don't you think we should check this out before-?"_

_"We are one mile from the outside of Mirkwood."_

_"We might all be dead before that happens!" counterattacked Legolas. "Please Adar...just take this into consideration. We cannot risk these elves. What if this poison falls into the wrong hands?"_

_"And how do you know it hasn't already?" said Thranduil. "I have been in the beginning of this darkness, I have seen all it can do. And if we do not do something, then not only these elves will die but __**Mirkwood**__ will perish. It is precisely why we need to hurry, get out off the borders and tighten our allies-"_

_Legolas groaned. Could his Adar not understand? "How in bloody Arda did we get into the subject of marriage again? Adar, you-" However, he was cut short when his eyes caught something. Right behind his Adar, more orcs were flooding over and one of them, camouflaged in a tree, had an arrow aimed straight at King Thranduil's heart._

_Legolas didn't risk it. He pushed his Adar out of the way, which was pretty difficult since his Adar was at least twenty times stronger than him and twenty times stockier than him too. However, he managed to do so much to his father's confusion and Legolas closed his eyes as the arrow struck him square in the chest. _

**[END FLASHBACK]**

Legolas whacked himself with one of his sticks.

"Stupid, stupid memories," he exclaimed, shaking his head and trying to shake off those bad memories off his head. Remembering now would do him no good. What had been done, had been done. He looked back down at the wood and rock he had. He realized all this thinking of his wasn't going to make arrows out of nowhere. So he sighed, sucked his breath and sat up, starting to work. He used the rock to sharpen one of the sticks and once that stick was ready, he used it to sharpen the other sticks.

He sighed with longing. He seriously wanted his knives back. And his arrows of course.

After half an hour of arduous work in which he blocked out the entire world and focused on making arrows, his hand went to his side so he could grab another stick to sharpen. He frowned when he found he'd used them all and stood up to gather some work. He'd done a pretty good job he'd supposed. Twenty arrows in thirty minutes...it was something. Besides, making arrows with a rock and some sticks wasn't very easy.

He stopped on his tracks though when he heard a distant sound. He watched in the horizon as Treebeard walked towards him. Two Ents followed him from behind, supporting a ragged looking figure Legolas soon realized was Estel. As he got closer, he looked at the boy's features...and he realized he must truly be exhausted. His skin was pale and his face haggard-looking. Purple bags who hadn't been there hung under Estel's gray eyes. His eyes were slightly bloodshot and even Legolas had to control himself from not thinking about whose eyes had looked like Estel's. Estel's rich dark brown hair was also messy and rumpled up.

Legolas forced in a smile as he picked up his arrows, shoved them into his quiver and went towards them. "Treebeard! Done so soon? I am most grateful for this news."

Treebeard gave him a tired smile. "Indeed. We made some research after..._you know_. That is how we were able to find out more about how we could cure more quickly and efficently." He suddenly raised a rusty 'arm' and patted Estel on his back, although it seemed more like Treebeard was crushing the frail boy. "Besides, this lad was very strong. He did a great job."

Estel only gave the Tree Ent an irritated glare but Legolas tried to evade Estel's dark mood and flashed a cheerful grin at Treebeard and the other Ents. "Thank you very much. I bet you all worked very hard and I'm sure we'd both appreciate it. What could I ever do to repay you?"

"Nay, there is no need for that," smiled Treebeard. "For your kin gave us a gift we will eternally be grateful for and not even in the thousands of years I have lived will I ever be able to repay them. Besides, any peaceful company is welcomed here...we do not have many visitors these days."

"I see no reason for that, your lands are beautiful," replied Legolas politely.

The two Ents behind Treebeard started muttering to themselves and Treebeard sighed, "I believe we will discuss that later. We're having another meeting in the Entmoot and we'd very much appreciate if you'd come." However, Treebeard's tone hinted it was much more of an order than a request. "For now, we heard about some meddlesome Men in our south-eastern borders. Got to teach them a lesson about nature. So, I thought the young lad could use some good sunshine with you."

"Indeed, that is a good idea. Besides, I would not like to trouble you," said Legolas standing up and putting a supporting hand on Estel's shoulder. The elf saw that the boy's legs were trembling, wobbling unstably like they were two skinny towers about to collapse. "Come Estel."

Treebeard gave him a smile and led the two other Ents away, walking the opposite direction they had come from. They spoke to each other, the two Ents quickly and Treebeard slowly, with his deep patient voice. Soon, they were out of their sight and Legolas turned to look at Estel, trying to cheer him up with a grin.

"Hello Estel! How are you feeling?"

"Like I want to slap that smile off your face," croaked Estel glaring at the elf's cheery demeanor.

"Good! At least you've kept your bad humour," said Legolas. He let Estel use him as support as they walked towards the lake. Legolas went to gather some more wood for his arrows and returned to see the boy had dragged himself to sit under the willow tree. The elf saw that as the sunshine touched the boy's pale skin, the boy hissed, as if the light stung his skin. Legolas didn't judge him though...he knew how that felt. "You know, in my time, it took three days to cure me from the death breath; it only took you about an hour or two."

"Seemed more like one or two _hundred_ of years of hell," grunted Estel as he sat on the grass and hissed irritatedly. The boy suddenly hated everything. Why did the bloody grass have to be so soft? Why was the sky so blue? Why did the sun have to shine so bright? Why did the water have to be so cold? For the boy, everything was gray and colorless. Dull and bland. He felt empty, like a vase without flowers.

"Yes, well, that's one of the symptoms," said Legolas. He started sharpening another stick and decided that his best strategy was to keep the boy distracted by talking. He also put anything sharp out of Estel's way...just in case. "It'll pass eventually."

Estel only mumbled under his breath.

Legolas sighed. "All right Estel...I'll tell you a story."

"Stories are all fake and stupid."

"Well, this one is more of an anecdote and no, it is _not _stupid," said Legolas. He waited to see if the boy would respond but realized he didn't. He could feel those cold, steel gray eyes bore into his face but nevertheless, he went on.

"There was once a young elf. He had everything he'd ever wanted. A peaceful home. A good family. Food on his table. Safety. His childhood was spent in joy and laughter, full of innocence and surrounded by color and good cheer-"

"Seems like something I'd need right now."

Legolas ignored him. "One day however, this elfling this discovered that he was leaving. Yes...he was leaving everything behind. The friends he'd had. The sapplings he'd grown up with. The lands he'd played in. The only home he'd ever known. Turns out, his family was one of the several families to move east in order to create a new kingdom with new rules. Eventually," smiled Legolas proudly. "These families were the first founders of Mirkwood, otherwise known at that time as Greenwood the Great.

"A great deal of peace went from there. The lands were rich and green, flourishing with life. Silvan elves who had originally been there admired the Sindarin culture we brought over and we mixed together to make a new kingdom with a harmonious order," said Legolas as if he'd memorized it from a textbook. "However as time passed and as this elf grew to love this place as if he'd been born there, as he grew used to the songs of the trees and got used to the very land beneath his feet, he realized something wrong was wrong with his home. The trees were changing. Turning black and black by the second. They had turned corrupted, instead of protecting and singing the songs of nature, they whispered bitter insults and hushed anger at the elf. Until...it happened. Greenwood was sacked clean by a horde of orcs. Our people who were not born warriors, were unprepared and chaos erupted. Every posession was stolen and sacked, the elflings were kidnapped, the ellyths raped and mutilated cruelly. Many elves fell that day and only half of Greenwood escaped."

"If you're trying to make me feel better," grumbled Estel. "I'll just tell you that you're doing a terrible job at it."

Legolas paid Estel no heed and went on, sharpening his fifth arrow as he spoke."This elf had seen it all. He was still young, not even five centuries old. He'd fought in the siege since his father had given him brief training in swordfight and the elfling had escaped along with his family, scarred forever. He escaped for his dear life running on a twisted ankle with bruises all over his limbs. From that day on, the corruption engulfed Greenwood. The southern part became too dangerous to walk on. The elves moved north but everything was changed. What had once been called Greenwood wasn't Greenwood anymore...it was Mirkwood or Taur-e-Ndaelos, the forest of great fear. A kingdom which once was describe as one of the greatest and most beautiful, had fallen so low and deep into the abyss of darkness.

"My kin never forgot though. They never forgot the siege and they never forgot the time when Greenwood was great. They kept that precious memory forever and then...they used that darkness and they transformed. Mirkwood, a name which had once been served as an insult by the other kingdoms, became our strength. Life changed entirely. Survival was taught to every citizen. Every male and female elfling at the age of four was given weapons and was taught the basics of how to wield them. By age five they entered basic training and started their education. The Mirkwood elves built up their barracks, they made weapons so efficiently that they had two times what they used to have, they build up their fortress right in the north of Mirkwood where it was safe and as time passed, not only did they fight the constant darkness at bay but they grew more dangerous, more agile.

"Things didn't get better though. Our character grew up all right though...he grew up to be a noble warrior and even commander, leading patrols into battle tirelessly, willing to give up his very life for the land he loved. Until things just got too bad. Mirkwood was falling...and the Mirkwood elves' defense was slowly weakening. If the darkness overwhelmed them...they would fall, and this time there was no place they could retreat to.

"The reason, the Mirkwood elves soon realized, of this darkness was because of the rise of a new evil...Sauron, the lieutnant of the dark Morgoth, who had once been part of the Valar but did not wish to share his power with his kin. After his master had been defeated in the first Age by the Valar and elves, Sauron had spent his entire life planning to complete his master's purpose: conquer Middle Earth. But the king of Mirkwood, King Oropher, was no fool...he knew that to destroy this darkness, he could not do it alone. That is why when both elves and men decided that they had to fight together, Mirkwood immediately raised its banners. The two leading forces, King Gil-Galad and King Elendil, led the free forces of Middle-Earth against Sauron and his minions."

"The War of the Alliance," whispered Estel, for the first time not saying any rude comment.

"Yes," affirmed Legolas. "The rest you know, for it is now history. You have not heard the side of the story from this elf, though. The elf we're talking about, commanded the forces of Mirkwood against Sauron next to King Oropher and several others. King Gil-Galad wished for Mirkwood to attack in a specific day. Gil-Galad was wise and seldom did anybody ignore his counsel and Oropher knew that. Yet Oropher had his own ideas; he thought that if they attacked one day earlier, they could get the orc army by surprise and he could help gain the upperhand for the elven forces the next day.

"This ended in catastrophe," said Legolas looking down with sadness. "The orcs' numbers were far too many and they were nothing but prepared when the Mirkwood elves fell on them. Besides, Sauron was more powerful than we ever thought. He had gained powerful allies and there in the battlefield, he unleashed one of the deadliest forces of Middle Earth: fire drakes, the last of their kind. Smaller but just as fiery and dangerous as their other larger kin."

"Dragons? But those only appear in myth."

"Indeed...but sometimes we realize myth is more truth than story. Anyways, to add to that, leading the orcs that day was another dark force: a Ringwraith, one of the nine corrupted kings who had received rings of power. The king, Oropher, was slain this way, fighting the wraith in order to protect his own son, the heir." Legolas took a deep breath and continued. "Our character, the elf, had his own battle to command. He led his forces against the drake and told his archers to try to take down all the drakes they could. He himself shot a drake right in it's weakened spot...although not before the drake had its vengeance.

"He shot a great gust of fire and the elf's face was half-burned," said Legolas and suddenly, for the first time in the entire story, Estel looked genuinely interested. "Literally. The left of side suffered from third degree burns and every single thing melted. Every vein, every muscle, every tendon and even his eye. Everybody thought this elf was going to die but he was revived and the healers had to give him a mask to hide the gruesome burns so that he could fight a few more months. Eventually, help from Gil Galad did come...but it was too late. The orcs and drakes had all died but the cost was two thirds of Mirkwood, the king himself and much more. Then, the Mirkwood forces went home...and our elf returned home fatherless and soon turned into an orphan as his very own mother went to Valinor because of grief, leaving him alone in this world."

For a moment, a chilling silence was shared between them. Nobody moved and not even an eye twitched. Estel's tired gray eyes pierced into Legolas' blue ones and suddenly he whispered, "So what's the moral?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"See, every story has some kind of lesson, a moral. Something I'm supposed to learn or use for the future," said Estel warily. "You told me this story for a reason and I still don't comprehend why. It certainly hasn't cheered me up, that's for sure."

Legolas flashed him a thin smile. "You're a clever little boy, aren't you Estel?"

"So I've been told...in different words though," muttered Estel grumpily, as if he wasn't in the mood for talking.

"Well, the story isn't completely finished. The elf married the elleth he'd been in love with for a long time. He managed to cope with his injury and he kept fighting for Mirkwood."

Estel's haggard face twisted into a frown. "Why?"

"Because he _loved_ Mirkwood, Estel. If you so want your lesson _penneth_, here you have it. This elf was thrust into all kinds of pain possible. He spent his life hanging from the thread of Mandos only to receive more suffering for his service. And yet he continued, because no matter how much darkness you have suffered or how low you've been beaten down, there will _always _be something worth fighting for. You will persevere...because you know you're much better than that. You know you're stronger."

Legolas looked deep into Estel. "But you_ cannot _do it alone. Even our elf needed that elleth's love in order to move on. For that strength in you is like a hurricane and it will bring you down if you do not use it or learn how to control it. Remember, a plant needs soil to grow. A fish needs water to swim in. You need someone to help you, someone to support you and to help you because pain is difficult to keep inside you. And I know we don't really know each other, Estel, we are strangers who have saved each other for unknown reasons. Yet I offer you my help. Speak when you want and I will listen. Because I know what pain means...and if you feel it, it doesn't mean you're weak. It means you're living and that you feel emotions like the rest of us. When I finished my treatment for the 'death breath,' I was sobbing like a baby because of the pain and nightmares I'd gone through. So cry, because not all tears are evil."

That's when Estel broke down and he was surprised by how many tears rolled down his cheeks.

**O-O-O**

"They're dangerous!"

"Please Lindenroot, calm yourself down," said Treebeard patiently.

The three Ents-Treebeard, Lindenroot and Quickbeam-were walking down the forest to deal with the humans who were apparently hurting the forest. Yavanna, Queen of the Valar, had created the Tree Ents to guard the beautiful trees of Fangorn against threats such as humans or dwarves. Their job was to ensure that nature continued to thrive under their care and to protect any living thing at any cost.

"I'm sorry T-Treebeard," spluttered Lindenroot. Not like he was scared of Treebeard or anything, that was just the way he spoke. He was a tall skinny tree and a nervous fellow as well. He was always uncertain, never black or white. "I-I just don't think it's a good idea having them here under our care."

Quickbeam nodded. He was one of the youngest of the Tree Ents, with strong branches and a thick bark. "For the first time, Noodle Stick is right. There is something strange I sense in the boy and the elf...the elf is trouble, we know it. He's important and if he falls into wrong hands, we'll pay. And trust me, I know that I will never want to _even_ get close to the Taur-e-Ndaelos, the very smell in the air is wicked and those poor trees..."

"T-Think about it, T-Treebeard," continued Lindenroot. "We cannot risk having our existence wiped out. W-We're one of the last of our kind left and w-with the disappearance of t-the Entwives and Entings...well, y-you know."

Treebeard sighed. "I admit it is true my friends. They bring us trouble and nothing more and yet, how could you not let them in? They were battered and bruised, dirty and wounded when they came in. The boy was basically dying! Yavanna sent us here for a reason and I know it was to defend our tree kin and nature itself, but shouldn't all living things be included in this list? Don't tell me you didn't feel terrible for them when we brought them."

Lindenroot and Quickbeam looked down at the floor.

"I thought so," said Treebeard, feeling a bit smug with his little victory. "Anyways, when they're completely healed and rested we'll let them go and we'll have no trouble, you'll see. Besides, there is no way the elves from Taur-e-Ndaelos will attack us. First of all, their kin are their responsibility, not ours, therefore they have nothing to blame us with. Also, none of the royal family would dare trespass our lands as enemies. They hold respect-"

"That is somewhat true," said Quickbeam. "But it was only the Queen of Mirkwood that did. Before she came to us, we had never had woodelves in our lands for centuries. She was the one who respected our woods...every single one of her children has been blessed by us. You know what happened to her, though. We all do, Treebeard."

"Valar bless that elleth," nodded Treebeard solemnly. "Yes, I know what happened to her...but she is still remembered. None of her children would dare attack us, knowing that she would disapprove of their actions."

"W-What of the Elf-king?" asked Lindenroot worriedly.

"His pride is high and his arrogance still hangs over him like the sky over Aman. His soul is cold and sharp like steel. If I chose between standing in the middle of a snow storm and being in the same room with him, I would choose the storm," said Treebeard honestly. "Yet he is cold because others have been like that to him and he has barely touched any warmth in his life. He has felt pain beyond imagination. Besides...he does have a conscience. He was on his knees when he begged to us to help his son. The wisest of kings knows when to bow when he needs to. Even as a prince, I knew he would accomplish things others before him hadn't."

Suddenly, they stopped in their paths.

They were close to the south-eastern border when they heard a sound. It was a ragged howl, not very loud but full of anger. They also heard other grunts, the sounds of claws against their sacred ground and the smell...ugh, what a terrible smell. Plain corruption was a terrible scent and immediately the three Tree Ents flinched. Quickbeam was the first to recover though.

"Orcs," he growled.

**O-O-O**

**AN: Oh no...orcs? In Fangorn? What do they have in mind? Hahaha...I think you guys all know why. Anyways, here is my short little chappie. I know it is TERRIBLE! :( I was actually kind of disappointed on my flashback, so please do forgive me. Normally, my flashbacks are better but this one was pretty bad, so sorry. This chapter, once again, was also much more emotional than action-packed...but I promise Legolas and Estel have a lot of running and ass-kicking to do in the next chapter (is that good or bad?). Trust me.**

**Anyways, some new Sindarin vocab words or key characters I put in that you might want some extra information:**

**Taur-e-Ndaelos: "Forest of Great Fear," the alternate name to Mirkwood**

**Yavanna: She is the Queen of the Valar and the creator of nature. She is believed to be responsible for the growth of all things in Arda. She is currently believed to live in the southern part of Valinor, in the Pastures of Yavanna.**

**King Oropher: Father of Thranduil, grandfather to Legolas and his siblings. He was the founder of Greenwood the Great and led some Sindarin elves from Lórien, east until they found Greenwood and combined their race with the Silvan elves already living there. He was a great ruler and a great warrior, slain in Dagorlad.**

**Aman: The sun**

**Now, about Legolas' story: yup, you guessed right, that's Thranduil he's talking about there. Let me tell y'all that I'm not exactly sure about what was happening in Mirkwood. Professor Tolkien just really didn't give us the specifics. So I'll explain some things a bit.**

**Oropher and his wife had Thranduil in the early First Age and their family, like many others, moved east to merge with Silvan elves, founding Greenwood. -TRUTH-**

**There was a siege in Mirkwood that forced them to move North. -INVENTED- (I'm not entirely sure about this but I just wanted to add it for fun. You know, because it gives us a clear perspective of how much Greenwood has changed to Mirkwood. Although yes, they did move north because the south of Mirkwood was getting dangerous, I might have some time troubles though so DO NOT hesitate in correcting me, historians)**

**Mirkwood's military regime. -HALF AND HALF- (Professor Tolkien was never specific in this but we obviously know that they had strict military regimes in order to be able to fight the darkness in Mirkwood. I based my version of the Mirkwood military regime on the Spartans. They started basic weapon training at age 7...but since it's elves we're talking about here and they've got enhanced skills, why not age 5? It sounds a bit logical but you're welcome with your opinions)**

**The War of the Alliance and Dagorlad. -TRUTH- (It's awesome! Mirkwood has such rich history in the war and in the siege of Dagorlad. I suggest you go research and read more in maybe in an appendix, LOTR wiki or the )**

**Thranduil's Burns. -ERM...HALF AND HALF- (We all saw that gruesome burn he had in the Desolation of Smaug! Which by the way was an AWESOME movie. So we know Thranduil has burned his entire left side of his face...but I'm not exactly sure how it happened, so I made him earn it in the battlefield while he was fighting drakes in Dagorlad)**

**King Oropher's Death. -HALF AND HALF- (We all know he did die in Dagorlad. However, Professor Tolkien never really paid attention to him nor did he state why or how he die, so to make it**_** extra **_**dramatic, I made Oropher die fighting a wraith sent to kill his son. What an awesome father...maybe it's in the royal blood)**

**Hahaha, you guys might be tired of reading all of this (if you did, if you didn't it's okay), so now the reviews! Thanks so much for your support guys!**

**Emi the Ninja: **Yup, LOL...Legolas' doesn't really have much luck in his side. Hahaha, now you see I wasn't kidding about Mandos hating them. ;) The twins are okay though...for now. Keep reading and I'm glad you're thinking this is funny!

**Masked Man 2: **Once again, thank you! Your reviews are always so well done and thoughtful, both a combination of compliments and constructive criticism. To start (oh my, how to start? You gave me so much to ponder with), I'm glad you liked Legolas' POV. I'm surprised you liked my action scenes since _I_ think I do them horribly but thank you. Hahaaha...yes, because the royal Mirkwood hair_ always stays fabulous_. And yes, that little paragraph about his family is meant to increase all this drama we're having. After all, family is a big topic in this fic. Anyways...gosh, you're right! I did forget to put the part that Gilraen introduced herself. It slipped I guess. Although I'm glad it was interesting, I just wanted to give a small POV on what Elrond was doing, with his foster son missing and all. And haha, XD yes, Beluriel is a random name. It just kind of rung to me, you know? Now...aww! Thank you! I appreciate you liking the Estel and Legolas POV, they are indeed two hilarious dudes. And yes! Congrats to Estel! Elrond would be really proud. And about the _**enchanted river**_...it's going to be really important in the future, I'm making a fic about it and I'll post it on in the future so stay informed. Hahaha...yes, the final POV was pretty enjoyable to right. Apparently many readers really liked Haldir, Aurell and the twins. And yes, you are right, there are currently two search teams: Haldir with his wardens along with Aurell and Elladan and Elrohir doing their own personal search without anybody knowing. About the flashback...yup, here you have it! It's not the best but it's here I suppose. I'll also put other mini-flashbacks about when Legolas was being treated in the way.

**Schattenjagd: **Whoa, that's awesome! Seems like you_ sure _know what having brothers is like. LOL...I feel kind of bad for your youngest brother but it must be nice to have a bunch of you guys looking over him. :) Anyways, Legolas gets lost in Fangorn because...he's kind of never been there before. I know it _is_ uncharacteristic for a woodelf but Fangorn is terribly old, it's been around since the very First Age. There are still some magic and purity mumbo jumbo around the forest...something I might explain in the next chapter, where Legolas is _sure _going to need his sense of navigation. If Thalos knew that though, he certainly would. And hahaha...yup, Legolas' hair _always_ stays fabulous. And agreed, Elrond is awesome! I'm also thankful that you like the interactions between Legolas and Estel, they're both very hilarious! Legolas is like a kitty...he hates water and for a good reason at that.

**Luin: **Thanks! Well, that's the reason I wrote this story in third person omniscient, so that I could play and experiment with different characters. But a two POV? That's cool! I used to do those all the time. I would very much like to read your fanfiction by the way! What's it about? Anyways...yes, there's a lot of angst in this story! It's very emotional. You're right by the way...Legolas and Estel will eventually warm up to each other. The flashback is here! It might not be so good but it is here! And that matters, right? I'll also put other mini-flashbacks about when Legolas was being treated in the way.

**Saphira: **_Mae govannen, mellon! _First of all...thanks and no problem! :) I'm glad to help my readers understand the fanfiction better! I might not have been clear in places. No, you will not get to know Legolas' secret for hair, *looks behind to see a glaring Legolas*...let's say that's _classified. _And about his ribs...well, Legolas isn't sure but he thinks they're broken and since Legolas didn't have the tools to do so, he still isn't completely healed up...In the bright side, Estel is okay now! Maybe depressed and full of pain but he's alive! I will reveal how the Tree Ents cured him in future flashbacks! And oh...the mountains? Don't worry about not reviewing sooner...I just hope you had fun! :) I will write more in the future, _namarie_!


	10. Chapter 10

_Previously on Chapter 9..._

_"-Immediately the three Tree Ents flinched. Quickbeam was the first to recover though. 'Orcs,' he growled."_

**Chapter 10**

Surprisingly, Estel was the first one who heard the noise.

He stood up, his haggard eyes wide in alarm and almost immediately after, Legolas stood up as well. The elf grabbed the arrows he had been making and shoved them in his quiver with the ones who were already made. He grabbed an arrow and in surreal speed, he loaded it unto his bow and pointed the arrowhead around, trying to look for a target to hit. His eyes were squinting in concentration, looking between the thick foliage of the trees.

"Are those orcs?" asked Estel worriedly.

Legolas rolled his eyes. "No Estel, they're ponies. Of course they're orcs."

"That's not funny," growled the boy glaring at the elf.

"No it isn't," agreed Legolas. He looked at the boy quickly and back to the mysterious woods. Orcs could come upon them in any second. "I can't see them yet but I sense a presence. I'm not very sure but something says that they're coming straight for us. Not sure from what direction though. Do you have any weapons on you? "

Estel wanted to snap some witty comment or insult back at Legolas, but realized there wasn't much time for that. He inwardly sighed with annoyance. Orcs here, orcs there...they seemed to follow him everywhere! Come on...couldn't they just give him some peace? And here he thought that Fangorn was a 'safe, mystical place of purity.' The boy patted his boot and clumsily took out a knife he had hidden there, which fell on the floor countless times before he could truly wrap his hands around the hilt. His senses were still a bit muddled up from the ritual from the Tree Ents and he couldn't think very straight.

"It's something," shrugged Legolas, although he looked a bit disappointed. "Would've liked it more if you'd brought your sword. Left it in Fangorn, huh? Might be able to retrieve it later. But well...at least you're strong enough to hold that knife. You think you're strong enough to stab?"

"I could be better right now but I'll manage," snapped Estel. He could've expanded that, with a river of curses but decided not to. They were already in a bad enough situation. And sure, Estel had been cut open and he'd had a stone shoved next to his beating heart...he was a bit dizzy but he could still manage some basic moves. "Can you sense how many?"

"Twenty only," whispered Legolas. "There might be some backup later on though...we have to be careful. They've got some wargs too...damn, maybe the wargs that were chasing me belonged to them."

"You were chased by wargs?"

"Long story-_look out_!" said Legolas. Estel turned out just in time to see an orc growl, jumping out from a bush with a devilish looking ax in his hand and about to crack open the boy's head. However, before he could do so he had a wooden arrow embeded in his neck and fell down with blood gurgling from the wound. Stunned, Estel stepped back as Legolas went forward and yanked the arrow out, grinning to himself. "Whoa! So these actually work! Sweet!"

"Um...maybe we should say 'sweet' after we get out of this alive," grunted Estel as he watched as more and more orcs hop out of trees and bushes. Legolas was right...it was a small company, only about twenty or well _nineteen_. Although surely the two of them couldn't handle it by themselves... Estel gulped, breathing in as his grip tightened against the hilt of his knife and then, he charged forward.

He frowned though. These weren't orcs! Or well...not completely. They looked just as large and just as fearsome but their faces were more slimy, more deformed and greasy. Their eyes were black and beady, not dark and empty like the orc's eyes. But well...it didn't mean that these creatures were better than orcs. But if they weren't orcs...what were they? He shook his head off. It wasn't important, what was important was getting out alive.

These creatures, whatever they were, wore heavy armour, so it took a long while for Estel to actually kill one. He'd spotted two weak places, the neck and head. And these things, unlike the ones he'd previously killed back there in his previous adventures with Legolas, were unexpectedly taller than usual. Now, up close, he could tell more details about these things. They were also more gruesome, their faces smeared with war paint, dried hair and deformed parts in in several places of their body. Most of the fight involucrated Estel dodging hits from the orcs and avoiding getting more injured. Finally, he managed to stab the orc straight through its neck and he yanked the knife back as he let the orc fall down. Struggling to stand up after using so much of his energy, he tumbled down to the ground and dragged himself across the floor to seek Legolas. The elf was extremely busy though, battling three of these creatures at the same time. Besides, even the archer wasn't at his full health and struggled fighting them at the same time.

Hearing a noise, Estel looked back and saw that two of those creatures, who he was sure weren't orcs were running towards him. Estel dragged himself further away from them and looked around frantically as they grinned hungrily at the boy, holding their sharp weapons inches away from his flesh. Finding nothing to help him, he grabbed the knife, which had stayed in his hand the whole time and aimed it at the closest orc. He imagined he was throwing lembas at Legolas' annoying face and a thin smile escaped his lips as he threw the knife. Closing his eyes, he awaited his fate which would depend on the accuracy of his throw. He opened them once again when nothing happened and he heard a satisfying thump. He saw that the knife had hit square in the bull's eye: the creature's head.

He smirked in triumph. If he just got out of this alive, maybe he could tell the twins to stuff their insults about his terrible aim. He didn't have much time to think about it though as he watched the other creature, who was pretty darn angry about his friend's death and swung his ax down at Estel's chest. The boy quickly rolled out of danger and watched as the gigantic ax crashed against the place he had been in. Sighing in relief, the boy quickly went towards the other thing's fallen body, trying to tear out the knife. This turned out difficult somehow and as hard as he pulled, he could not get the blade out. He looked up frantically and slowly watched as the other creature headed towards him, a devilish grin in his face.

He considered calling Legolas, but decided not to. He was already pretty bad off. One of the three of those things was already down but the elf was still surrounded by the other two, who were itching and grunting to get hold of Legolas. The boy, frustrated, still trying to tear the knife out out of the fallen creature, saw that the elf had a wound near his stomach that was soaking Legolas' tunic. Estel turned back to the imminent danger and closed his eyes as he waited for the thing's ax to slash him in half...but it never came.

Standing tall and strong, the Treebeard looked down at the boy with a concerned look. "Are you all right, Estel?"

Estel gaped at the Tree Ent. He'd just hit that creature dead with one of his branches like he was just punching a feather! Maybe Treebeard's boasts about his strength were true. However, Estel forced himself to nod and simply turned to Legolas, who had killed the other two but now had even more of them surrounding him. Treebeard gently helped the boy stand up and then roared a battle cry as he went towards the crowd of seven creatures. The Tree Ent smashed through, his thick branches slamming and cracking through their armour like they were made of grain. Soon, all of them laid dead and a bloodied but very much alive elf was in view.

"Thank you Treebeard, I could've handled it by myself though," said Legolas.

The Tree Ent gave a low chuckle. "Injured? I don't think so. You push yourself too hard, young one. You are not invincible." Then he sobered up, looking behind them. "More orcs will arrive. I will cover you as much as I can but you will have to run as fast and far as you can, for I fear I may not hold them for long."

Legolas nodded. "Thank you. We are in your debt. Come on Estel-" the elf took a step and immediately winched, clutching his chest as if it deeply pained him and fell down onto the floor. Estel looked at the elf with slight concern, frowning as the sounds of footsteps came closer. Treebeard had his back against them, acting as a protective wall. The boy slowly put the arm of the elf around his neck and helped the elf up. Legolas' blue eyes bore into his slowly recovering gray ones as he said, "Damn...I knew something was wrong in my ribs. Estel, you must go without me."

For a while, Estel didn't get it. "What?"

"Run, go off, hurry. I will be nothing but a liability to you. You're not at your full health but I'll reckon you can still run pretty quickly," stated Legolas. "Go. Didn't you say you needed to go somewhere else when we first met? Now is the time to go."

Estel was frozen in place. The offer was tempting, going to Lórien to be reunited with his brothers? After all, this was the purpose of his trip. To prove he was capable of taking care of himself and to finally discover the world more. And yet...he didn't want to abandon Legolas. _He_, was the reason that he had gone so far and survived. He didn't know why but the idea of just leaving the elf here with Treebeard. He sighed as his brain came up with the final decision...he couldn't and wouldn't leave him. "No."

"_What_?" Now it was Legolas' turn to be surprised.

"I was a liability to you too," stated Estel. "But you kept me anyways. You protected me...and now that our roles are sort of reversed, I'll keep you too. Besides...the place I was going to isn't that important now anyways. I'm staying with you and I'm willing to help you in that quest of yours."

Legolas laughed nervously as he backed off Estel, waving his hands as if he did not approve Estel's choice. "One thing is getting out of here together. Another thing is joining me in my quest. _No way_. You're not joining me."

"Why not?"

"Because I say so!" exclaimed Legolas until a very frustrated-looking Treebeard told them to hurry and start running if they both wanted to get out alive. The Tree Ent was cut short however, when a storm of orcs came out from the trees. They rode on wargs, unlike the orcs before and they came with an even larger fury. Treebeard then plunged into battle, swinging his thick branches and stomping through the massive group of fifty warg-riding orcs. These orcs were much stronger than the twenty creatures they'd previously fought with and even the strong Tree Ent struggled with them. Estel had a great wish to help the Treebeard as he saw the orcs slash at the Tree Ent's trunk and making torches in order to burn him.

"Move it!" hissed the elf quickly dragging him away as Estel realized some orcs had taken their attention off Treebeard and on them. "We can discuss your fate later...let's make sure we have one first!"

And so, they ran.

This resulted very difficult due to the fact that Estel still lacked energy, having wasted it on the 'surgery' the Tree Ents had performed on him and Legolas because his knee was still slightly dislocated and he was bleeding once more. However, they overcame those boundaries and ran, their legs thumping against the forest ground in a balanced rhythm. Often, Estel would trip over some branch left askew or just some abnormally huge root but he would always quickly stumble and stand up again, running for his dear life. Legolas was much slower but was still able to limp closely behind him. The elf covered his back, shooting some orcs down with his wooden arrows. They were not as effective as his old arrows but worked nevertheless, for Legolas' aim was true and...heck, arrows were arrows, right?

Suddenly, Estel ran until he ended up in a dead end. He was about to run further before he took a step back and looked down. He stood before a cliff and looked down, his voice stuck in his throat. Many feet below him, another stream flowed down, along with sharp rocks in both sides. One false fall...and it could be certain death. However, a few feet away from him, another path could be seen. Legolas soon caught up with him, panting and he looked at Estel with a confused gaze. The boy noticed there were no arrows left in the quiver.

"What are you doing, standing there?" he exclaimed. "Move it! We_ are _being chased you know."

"There's a cliff down there! Are you blind? I don't suddenly have wings you know!" snapped back Estel, not amused with Legolas' tone.

Legolas sighed, looking behind him to see the upcoming wave of orcs and then looking down the cliff. Estel covered him this time, throwing rocks at the orcs. One of those rocks even hit an orc's eye and Estel patted himself in the back triumphantly. Meanwhile, Legolas nervously rubbed his slender fingers together until suddenly, his eyes caught something. He smiled fondly and the elf quickly climbed up the tree with enhanced woodelf agility, even with a dislocated knee. He shook the leaves of the tree and suddenly, almost out of nowhere, a long vine came out loose.

Quickly, Legolas slid down from the tree and nudged Estel, pointing to the vine and then pointing at himself smugly. "Nope, you might not have wings...but you're lucky you're with a wood elf. Now watch the master!" Suddenly, Legolas backed a bit and then ran forward, jumping off the cliff and in one swift motion, he swung himself across and landed in the other side with a sturdy jump. He passed Estel the vine and shouted, "Your turn!"

"Are you mad?" Estel screamed back, as the boy touched the vine with his hands. The orcs were now two steps away from getting him. "I can't jump that far! There's going to be 50% chance for me to die painfully!"

"IT IS BETTER THAN THE 0% CHANCE OF LIVING YOU'LL BE GETTING IN 30 SECONDS!" exclaimed Legolas. "Now jump you little ungrateful boy!"

Estel jumped.

The boy gritted his teeth as he held on to the vine and swung himself to the other side. Closing his eyes in fear however, he felt a bit heavy and looked down. It turns out, that he wasn't the only one in the vine. Below him, an orc held on to the vine as well and grinned hungrily at the boy as he climbed up the vine. Estel could feel the vine cracking by the weight and frantically, he started climbing up as well, occasionally stopping to kick the orc's head. Eventually, Estel kicked hard and triumphantly pushed the orc off the vine, screaming as he fell down. Breathing in relief, he looked back and tried to swing himself across to where Legolas was. He noticed that the orcs were gone too...maybe they'd finally given up chasing them. Thank the Valar.

"What are you waiting for? Get over here!" exclaimed Legolas anxiously. "The orcs are looking for a shortcut, we don't have much time you know."

"I'm trying, can't you see?" said Estel with an annoyed tone, moving back and forth to try to swing towards Legolas' direction. Suddenly, he frowned as he heard a slight crack above him. He looked up just as soon as the vine broke and Estel found himself falling down.

_Oh dear, not again, _groaned Legolas in his mind.

**O-O-O**

"Well Legolas, it seems that by the Valar, you shall be stuck with me for a while more."

After finding his way down, the elf had eventually found the boy floating on the calm river waters. The river, he realized, wasn't even deep and only went up to Legolas' waist and therefore Estel had never been in trouble at all. Fortunately, the boy had almost been unharmed by the fall. Perhaps the ritual the Tree Ents had performed on the boy had enhanced his durability. Estel had been soaking wet and had a small bruise in his left arm but otherwise, all of his body parts were in tact...and unfortunately, so was his humour.

"Don't quote me, I'm not in the mood," replied Legolas sighing in annoyance, also soaking wet.

Now, they had been both walking for a while through the thick foliage of Fangorn Forest. They were in the very southern edge of the forest and a few miles away, they knew they would soon be in the outskirts of the woods. Their objective was to get out of Fangorn, meaning getting out of danger and then discuss if they should part ways or not. However, much to Legolas' annoyance, Estel was kind of obliged to stay with him for now, especially with the company of orcs still tracking them both.

"Whatever, don't think I'm in my best either," said Estel as they walked. "And I thought you called me Mr. Shadows, look at you now."

"Listen, boy...yes, I know you're no peredhil," said Legolas as they paused, the elf abruptly looking at the boy with such intensity in his eyes, Estel thought they would burst. "I am traveling for a reason. Not to be your babysitter. I would appreciate if you stopped joking about this so we can get out of here quicker and so that I can fulfill what I was meant to do."

They continued walking in silence, no word uttered, a strange eerie sensation in the air until suddenly, Estel's quiet whisper erupted in the air. "I came here with a purpose too..."

"What was that?" asked Legolas frowning, his anger fading and his face softening.

"I came here for a purpose," said Estel, a bit louder now...and he didn't know why, but he'd kept his feelings so deep in their cage and now, it was as if they needed to be let out. To have a taste of freedom. "Back at home, they treat me like I'm some sort of outcast. Sure, my mother, father and brothers love me but the rest think I'm some kind of...contagious disease. I can do nothing right and that is why they make fun of me. I-I wanted to prove on this trip that-that I could handle myself. That I could take care of myself without their help. That I could do just what they can do." He lowered his head. "I know I'm never going to be perfect like the rest of them."

Next to him, Legolas snorted. "You don't need to be perfect to please people...all you have to do is please yourself. You need not care about the opinions of others. After all, do lions care to bother about the opinions of sheep?" He flashed him a thin smile, trying to get the boy up in his spirits again. "You know, I do know how it feels to be under pressure..."

"How could you?" Estel snapped. "You are already perfect! What would you know about flaws?"

Legolas gave him a small chuckle, much to the boy's surprise. "Perfect? I doubt that. Especially my father. Y-You see...my father is an erm,_ a very high ranking elf. _My older brother is perfection itself put into a body, so he has no problem with him. But me? I'm the one he screams at all the time, I'm the one he always nags about being 'informal,' I'm the one he is frustrated about, saying that I try to get killed too much-"

"I actually agree with him about that," snapped Estel, recalling the previous days he'd spent with the elf.

"Well, _yes. _That's true but it's not like I do it on purpose...the point is that no matter what I do, I am never able to please him. And really, all I want from him is for him to tell me that he is proud of me. Surely that isn't such a difficult task?" said Legolas and gave a small sigh, his voice reducing into a whimper. "My sister...well, she isn't perfect but father lets her go. She-She reminds him too much of mother, I guess."

"Your mother?" said Estel, raising his eye curiously.

"Y-Yes, s-she is in the Halls of Mandos now," said Legolas quietly. "She was killed by orcs when I was a young elfling."

For a moment, they were once again in silence, until Estel spoke up again.

"I'm sorry...if it helps though, I-I lost my father too," said Estel and he added, after he saw Legolas' confused face. "My _real _father. The father I have now is a foster father, a friend of my father I guess. My mother never tells me about him though...just says he died fighting when I was two years old. That's all. I wish she told me more."

Legolas bit his lip, as if he were deep in thought and then replied, "It's for the better, I suppose. You know what most of them say 'Ignorance is bliss.' Don't think about it too much though...I'm sure they'll tell you when you're ready."

"And when's that?" snapped Estel impatiently.

"When you stop being a rude, obnoxious little boy," replied Legolas.

He meant it as a joke. He knew that the ritual by the Tree Ents could really drain your energy and without energy, it could really befuddle your mind. The real thing was that he did like Estel...but the elf just wasn't the most patient elf in Middle Earth. Legolas watched as the boy slowly looked down.

"I must have really been a nuisance to you, haven't I?" the boy muttered.

The elf sighed, his face softening. "I don't mean it like that Estel. It's just-" Then, the noise the two companions had grown so used too sounded in the air and Legolas paused, looking down at Estel. "Did you hear that?"

"Yes, I heard it all right..." whispered Estel quietly. "The orcs have found us. They sound close."

Looking behind them, Legolas hissed and said, "They follow us from behind. Damnation! I knew we would get nowhere with my leg and your speed." Before Estel could snap something witty about his speed to the elf however, he was pushed rather harshly up a tree and unto a branch. The elf followed, much more swiftly and pushed the human on, "Go! Hurry up and climb!"

Estel was very used to climbing trees. The Imladris garden back at home was full of them and he'd climbed every single one, no matter how hard it had seemed. Even some of the elflings there had been impressed. However, Legolas was an even better climber, jumping up the branches as if he could fly. Soon however, as the boy caught up with him very quickly, they reached a pretty high point and looked down, quietly holding their breaths as the company of orcs came into a halt...right in front of their tree.

Thank you Mandos.

One of the orcs of said orc party grunted, uttering some words in westron. "Ugh, I'm hungry, can't we get a juicy human to eat? Let them rot, I say. If we're going to kill them, I don't want to die of hunger first. Besides, we have already traveled many leagues looking for these two runts. What's so important about them anyways?"

_Yes, _thought Estel, _go ahead and leave! Go eat some another human, you disgusting creature!_

Another orc came from behind, whacking the one who had spoken. He spat at him. "You idiot! Don't you think we are all hungry, Darfu? It is Bulgan's orders...we have to bring these runts back to him. _Alive_. He says that their dirty talking faces are worth more than their heads-"

"Bulgan can go screw himself down into a pit!" growled the first orc, otherwise known as Darfu. "I could eat him whole and fight him too. All I know that is when we capture these imbeciles, I want the elf! Their flesh is sweet and tender. I thirst for his blood!"

Apparently, this was some kind of joke and all of the orcs except the one who had faced Darfu, laughed. Beside him, he could feel Legolas tense, the elf's normally glowing aura growing cold and rigid. The second orc, who supposedly was the second in command of this Bulgan, started arguing with Darfu, things getting more and more violent.

Legolas, using this opportunity, nudged Estel, whispering, "Let's get out of here."

The elf pointed in front of them, where another nearby tree was. He jumped over to the other side, the leaves barely rustling. Putting a finger to his lips as he watched the boy from the other side and ushered him to jump. Estel held his breath and jumped, trying to copy Legolas' moves. Unfortunately, he made a bit more noise and only got hold of the rim of a branch. Luckily, the orcs were too concentrated in their fight and Legolas managed to pull the boy up and continue on their way silently through the trees.

They continued like this for a few five trees, Estel gradually improved and didn't make much noise as before but often found it hard to copy Legolas' graceful squirrel-like jumps but well, he supposed woodelves had that kind of agility. Especially with trees. He'd heard Glorfindel describe them once, in a hushed conversation with Erestor, "less wise, more dangerous." Hmm...he wondered what he truly meant. Legolas didn't seem very dumb to him.

Distracted with his thoughts, Estel didn't notice as he failed to grasp the branch he needed and his cry of surprise as he started falling off a tree, with a bewildered-looking Legolas looking down at him. Estel winced as he felt many branches and leaves crack under his weight as he slowly fell down. He landed with a great thump down on the ground and groaned, he struggled to get up and from the distance, he could hear the heavy footsteps of the orcs coming towards him.

Estel looked up at the tree and realized Legolas had disappeared and was no longer hidden in the thick canopy of the trees. He cursed, the elf had left him! That idiot! Growling, he quickly heaved himself up and watched as the first few orcs came in sight. Standing against a tree for support, he grabbed the small knife he had brought with him. Now, there were no Tree Ents to save him. No mysterious elf to kill his foes. But he would still try to fight and survive this, to keep his honor, to finally show his family his worth...

Even if he died in the attempt.

**O-O-O**

**AN: Hahaha, dramatic cliffhanger! LOL, it's not really a cliffhanger but still.**

**And whoa! So you mean Legolas left Estel at the mercy of orcs? Cruel! Or really...did he? And if he didn't really leave him, what in Arda is he doing? Review what you think! I wanted to make this chapter longer but well, I didn't want to be excessive like my last chapter (8,000 words?! I had not noticed!), so I kept it in around 4,000. **

**By the way, some explanations for those who might think it was confusing. The first wave of 20 'orcs' that came into Fangorn were not orcs...they were a really sloppy version of the Uruk hai. Because before the War, there was some evidence that Sauron was experimenting with these Uruk-hai and that he later gave some of them to Saruman so he could fight battles and stuff. So this is kind of a 'mini-experiment.' The next wave and the one these two are currently being chased by, **_**is**_** made out of orcs.**

**Now, my lovely reviews! :) **

**Masked Man 2: **Thank you! And of course I love your reviews, they're always so delightful to read! :) I see why you could be confused and I will reveal in a series of flashbacks how the 'death breath' is cured. But if you want, I could PM you the entire process in a well-explained paragraph beforehand. And haha, thank you a lot for all your compliments! And LOL, apparently you're not the only one who wants to kick Thranduil's butt right now. And what will happen? You tell me, what do you think is going to happen now? :)

**Emi the Ninja: **Thank you! :D

**Luin: **Indeed! The flashback you were waiting for! And yes, you heard right. I'll be putting mini flashbacks on how Legolas was treated himself. If you want though, I could PM you the entire process in a nice paragraph beforehand. And sometimes it will be emotional, sometimes it won't...it'll depend I guess. Aww...thank you! I'm glad I have so many loyal readers like you! :)

**Saphira: **Hahaha...I kind of wasn't but I didn't realize I had written so much until I checked and indeed, 8,000 words IS a lot! I did kind of get carried off but I do appreciate that you liked the extra info! :) Oh and yes, I do check my story for grammar but sometimes a thing or two slips away from me so thank you, it's always nice to know if there are any mistakes. And haha...yes, Estel lives! And haha, it does seem something like Legolas and Estel would do, helping the Ents, even Estel feels guilty about not doing that. However...I think these two are already in enough trouble. And hahaha...I know how it feels, I don't exactly have good memories near mountains. And yes, even though I already knew those history facts, it's always great to have reassurement! :) Thanks for all the compliments and _namarie, mellon!_

**Schattenjagd: **Hahaha, dude, your review was the one that made me laugh the most! :) I seriously read it like more than five times! Anyways, haha...Legolas does hate Mandos. Do you reckon he will have the opportunity to punch him...? And yes, it is very true, Legolas does have a huge burden of responsibilities due to having so many lives willing to be sacrificed for him. Especially your friends...it's pretty awful. And hahaha...it's not that Thranduil thinks badly about his children, he just doesn't want to make them spoiled. I do agree that he does over-exaggerate his parenting style. And once again, Thranduil does sound a bit a-hole-ish but remember, he went through the same thing when he was an elf... (look at my profile! I have the entire Mirkwood series planned out!). Oh, and it's twenty elves in each side. Since there are four sides, there are about eighty elves...and that against thirty two is a pretty hard battle I think. And about your "Yes? What is it this time Legolas? Can't you see I am busy right now, boy?" comment, it really cracked me up! Hahaha...I guess Thranduil trained Legolas to be pretty polite, maybe too polite, LOL! :D In other words, thank you for all your compliments! :)

**Guest: **Thank you! Or...how did you say it in Portuguese, obrigado?


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